Enemies of the Heir Beware
by brittanythestoryteller
Summary: Alastor Moody and his friends begin their years at Hogwarts. The youngest Black boy secretly wishes to escape his family's influence. Everything changes when the Chamber of Secrets is opened and a student is murdered. Contains some OCs, canon-compliant.
1. Alastor Moody

**A/N: Hello, and thank you for choosing to read my story. :) This is my first fanfiction and I'm very excited to share it. Before the actual plot begins to advance, I have four mini-chapters that show the main characters' reactions to getting their Hogwarts letters and other events occurring in the summer before they start school. This is Alastor Moody's story. Enjoy!  
><strong>

Alastor Moody

Alastor Moody always knew that he was like his father. When he was a young boy he would listen carefully as his father told him stories of Dark wizards he had put into Azkaban prison. Instead of fearing the wizards that his father spoke of, he was inspired to become a Dark wizard catcher himself. His childhood days were spent dreaming of a time when Alastor himself would be praised for catching those in their world that had gone as bad as one could go. Alastor Moody felt nothing but pride and love for his father; he was Alastor's hero.

Auror Victor Moody felt the same pride for his only son. When the young boy struggled with the many chores his mother gave him, Victor was there to help with a bit of magic. He knew in his heart that Alastor was destined for greater things than cleaning and cooking, although he wouldn't dare admit this to his wife. Alastor was fascinated by the wizarding world and was quite proud to call himself a wizard, yet he was even prouder to call himself Victor Moody's son.

When he was eleven years old, the Moody family anticipated Alastor's acceptance into Hogwarts. Victor told his eager son that it was only a matter of time until his letter came. Alastor asked his father what his Hogwarts days were like; Victor had been a Gryffindor and an exceptional Beater on the Quidditch team. Alastor hoped he could live up to his father's standards. He was lucky, though, that Victor believed in him and would be proud of him no matter how he did in school.

As June rolled around in the year nineteen forty-four, Alastor was bouncing with excitement. He would soon be venturing into Diagon Alley to purchase his first wand, among other items he would need for his first year at Hogwarts. Of course he had been there before, tagging along his father as he carried out his usual errands.

Alastor remembered the last time he had gone to Diagon Alley with his father. Victor had stopped by the entrance to Knockturn Alley, requesting that Alastor stand back. Victor Moody's stance at the entrance inspired fear in those who were up to no good. Alastor had watched as hooded figures packed up their stolen goods and fled the street, never glancing back at the Auror as they went. He noticed that his father did not need to utter a single word; his mere presence was intimidating enough to those in the dark alley.

Alastor looked back upon that particular visit with happiness. When his father had returned from Knockturn Alley they had a wonderful shopping trip. Victor had even let Alastor keep some silver sickles to spend on whatever he liked. He had bought himself a book from Flourish & Blott's bookstore: _Defeating the Dark Arts_. He had expected his father to protest, as his mother surely would, but he only smiled and told Alastor he had made an excellent selection. Other children would have purchased a pet animal or a joke shop item, yet Alastor had no interest in such things. He only wanted to become more like his father. He wanted to learn how to take down Dark wizards.

As June came and went, July's approach was noticeable to all. The gentle breeze of spring had been replaced by the scorching heat of summer. Trees were green and bright, healthy and providing a beautiful sight to onlookers. Alastor loved the summer, as Victor tended to take more days off from the Ministry to spend time with him. Summer provided warmth and happiness to the Moody family.

Unfortunately, this summer was different for Alastor. A Dark wizard named Gellert Grindelwald had been terrorizing wizards and Muggles in Bulgaria and Germany; Alastor had read in the _Daily Prophet_ that Grindelwald was trying to purge the world of Muggles and Muggle-born witches and wizards. Although Alastor was a pure-blood wizard, he felt no hatred towards those who were not. He did not understand why blood would make such a difference in the world.

The_ Prophet_ had also mentioned that Grindelwald was moving into England. On the day that Alastor first learned this, the newspaper had reported the deaths of six Muggles and three wizards. Grindelwald had acquired a small number of followers in Britain that sympathized with his prejudices.

Alastor did not feel scared at the threat, but he was scared that his father was going to put himself into the fray to save more from being murdered. He knew his father had been working overtime lately. When Victor came home each night he was much too tired to tell Alastor stories of Hogwarts, nor did he affectionately mess up Alastor's hair as he used to when he saw his son looking eagerly up at him.

August sixth was the day that would become one of the worst days of Alastor Moody's life. He had been outside most of the day, running about with three of his Muggle friends from the neighborhood. He enjoyed the company of his friends, although he never revealed to them that he was a wizard. They played Muggle games such as football in the summer and conkers in autumn. On this particular day, the boys were playing badminton. They were swinging their rackets wildly, nearly missing one another and howling with laughter. Alastor's happy thoughts were interrupted when he heard someone calling his name.

"Alastor," Gregory Holmes said suddenly, "your mum's calling you."

Alastor looked up and saw that his mother was indeed beckoning him back to their home. He quickly waved goodbye to Gregory and the others and hurried toward the small cottage that was the Moody household.

Right when he arrived at the front door, Alastor knew something was terribly wrong. Inside were three members of Victor Moody's Auror department; Alastor seemed to recognize one of them but couldn't think of his name. Alastor looked at his mother and saw that her eyes were wide and filled with tears. The Auror that Alastor had recognized stood up and gestured for Alastor to enter the sitting room with them.

"Good afternoon, Alastor," the Auror said. "My name is Edward Perkins. I'm an Auror, just like your father. Behind me are Lyle Flanagan and Valentino Dearboy. Please have a seat. There is something that we've come to tell you and your mother."

Perkins smiled, but Alastor noted hesitation behind the expression. He was convinced that something was wrong. Where was his father? Surely he would be here if three members of his department were in their home?

He looked at his mother, who had begun to silently weep. She was standing in the doorway of the sitting room, looking straight ahead as her tears spilled down her face and onto the oak wood floor. Eleanor Moody was a strong woman; she did not cry over trivial matters. In all his life Alastor had only seen his mother cry once prior to this day. Upon looking at her, Alastor became certain that something was definitely wrong. The anxiety was weighing on his chest as if someone had placed a ten pound weight onto it.

Alastor entered the sitting room and sat down next to Dearboy. He noticed that Dearboy was much older and more frail-looking than the other two. Alastor wondered to himself how someone that delicate-looking could manage to keep up with the rest of the squad. His thoughts were interrupted when Perkins started to speak again, this time slowly.

"Alastor, do you know who Gellert Grindelwald is?"

Alastor's pale blue eyes flashed with disdain at the sound of the name. He _hated_ Grindelwald. The man was murdering Muggles and praising pure-bloods. He thought of his Muggle friends; the boys that he spent his days playing various Muggle sports with, and whispering ghost stories with at night. Alastor didn't understand how others could believe that blood status really determined your place in society.

Alastor understood, even at eleven years old, that Grindelwald was nothing but pure evil. His heart beat frantically inside his chest. If Grindelwald was involved this was certainly going to be dreadful news. Fearing his voice would betray him, Alastor merely nodded in response to Perkins's question.

"Yes, I suppose I'd be surprised if you _hadn't _heard of him by now." Perkins paused, clearly pondering how to continue. "Well, Grindelwald invaded the Yorkshire coast last night. It was an entirely unexpected attack. Many Muggles were hurt and we sent out our best Aurors to fight him and his forces. He took two wizards hostage, you see. Your father went to Leeds early this morning to fight him."

Perkins paused for the second time. This time, he glanced back at his colleagues. His tired hazel eyes were pleading for someone else to continue with the tale. Alastor himself was no longer paying attention. He wasn't thick - he knew what was coming. He knew what they were going to say, yet he prayed that he was wrong. In fact, Alastor would have given up everything he owned if only he were wrong about this.

Dearboy put his hand on Alastor's shoulder and squeezed. The younger boy looked up at the Auror, silently thanking him for the gesture.

"I'm very sorry, Alastor," Dearboy said from beside him. "Your father was killed in the battle at Leeds. He fought bravely; he took down seven of Grindelwald's lieutenants. He fought like a hero, Alastor. I only wish-"

Alastor decided he'd had enough. He rose quickly from his seat next to the elder Auror and walked out of the room without a word. He had known what was coming; there was no other reason why three Aurors would be at his house and his mother in tears. Yet hearing it made it so much more real. Alastor's hero, his mentor, his best friend, his father was _dead_. He didn't care that Victor Moody had taken down Grindelwald's best lieutenants. He did not care who killed him or how evil they were. His father was dead and never coming back.

He strode through the kitchen and out the back door of the cottage. When he stepped into the backyard, he felt the cool breeze blowing his blond hair in all directions. Alastor stood by his mother's garden, thinking about what he had just been told. Victor Moody would never see his son onto the Hogwarts Express. Alastor would never receive an owl from his father, telling him how proud he was and sending him sweets.

Alastor did not allow himself to cry. It was not that he thought crying was a weakness; it was that he felt his father would not want him to cry. His father would want him to be strong for him. That was what he would do; he would be strong.

A few minutes later, Eleanor came out to comfort her son. Her cheeks were still tear-stained, but she seemed to have temporarily stopped crying. She approached her son with quiet caution and slipped one of her thin arms around his shoulders. Alastor looked up at his mother, studying the unrestrained sadness in her eyes. Her beautiful brown orbs would normally be filled with determination and strength; Alastor's mother was the strongest woman he knew and her every feature showed it.

"Mum," Alastor said in a voice that was barely a whisper, "I'm sorry."

Eleanor looked at him, alarmed. "What do you have to be sorry for, Alastor?"

"Dad's gone," he admitted out loud, avoiding his mother's eyes.

He felt his mother put both of her hands on each side of his face as she gently guided his gaze to meet hers. It gave him a small flicker of happiness to see that the fortuitous woman he knew was back again. As he looked at his mother now, the weeping woman inside was only a memory.

"You listen to me, Alastor Victor Moody," she said sternly. "You have nothing to be sorry for. Do you hear me? Nothing! Your father died a hero. He went out the way that he wanted to, and he took a couple of those bastards down with him. He died fighting to make this world a better place for us to live in."

Alastor watched his mother as she spoke. Her voice rose with each word, and soon the shaking in her voice was gone. Alastor felt an overwhelming amount of pride for Eleanor Moody.

"Your father left something with me some time ago. I was to give it to you if anything ever happened to him. You don't have to read it just yet, but I thought you ought to have it now."

Eleanor held out an envelope with Alastor's name written on it. He took it quickly and began to open it.

"I want to read it now," Alastor told her as he pried the letter out from inside the envelope.

_To my son, Alastor,_  
><em>Unfortunately, if you are reading this, it means that something has happened to me. If that is the case, I am dreadfully sorry that you must now go on without me. At the time that I am writing this, you are ten years old. I do not know how old you will be when you read this, but right now I can say with much certainty that you will soon be growing into a strong man (and you may have already). Always remember to remain alert, Alastor. Don't allow yourself to fall as easily as I have. You are much stronger than that.<em>

_Do you remember the phrase I used to motivate you when you were younger? The very phrase you began to chant at me every time I left for the Auror office, to make sure I would remember to employ it? I'm sure you do remember it. Think of what "constant vigilance" means to YOU, Alastor. Apply it to yourself and embed it in your mind. If you always remember to utilize constant vigilance in everything that you do, there is no doubt in my mind that you will succeed._

_Again, I am dreadfully sorry that this will be the last you hear from me. I pray that my memory grows stronger inside your mind each day I am gone, until one day we are reunited once more. I will not promise you that your life will be full of easy successes or lacking in evil. You, I am afraid, grow in the climate of war. You must always remember to have your wits about you. If you do not, you will regret it. I know you are strong enough for what lies ahead, Alastor. I know that you have what it takes to be a true fighter. Please be careful, and always remember how much I love you. Be good, son._

_With love,_  
><em>Victor C. Moody<em>

Alastor stared at the letter for a few seconds before folding it up and inserting it in his left trouser pocket. His father's parting words rang in his ears as if he had just spoken them aloud. He could hear "constant vigilance," his father's favorite phrase, repeated over and over again.

Alastor had not realized his mother was watching him read his letter. When she coughed lightly he glanced up, startled, to find that she had not moved an inch since handing him the letter. Her eyes were distant, devoid of feeling.

"He was a great man," Eleanor said slowly. Her lips barely moved with each word, but Alastor still heard them.

"He always will be," her son concluded.

He approached his mother and pulled her in a hug. Eleanor seemed to resist at first as her back went rigid with her son's touch. After a few moments, she weakened. Alastor held onto her tightly, even when he heard her begin to sob. His mother needed this.

"We'll get through this, Mum," Alastor promised.

In that moment, Alastor vowed that he would always take care of his mother. Not only that but he also swore that he would not shame his father; he would continue to be strong. When he was through with Hogwarts, he was going to become an Auror and catch Dark wizards and witches like Grindelwald. And, when it was his time to depart from the world, he would take down a few demons with him. Alastor Moody would follow the footsteps of his father before him and become a hero.


	2. Alleister Anxium

**Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters, plots, etc. are owned by the wonderful JK Rowling. I own Alleister Anxium and the rest of the OCs.  
>AN: Do you like this so far? Dislike it? Review and let me know! :)**

  
><span>Alleister Anxium<span>

July's heat made little difference to the residents of Ravall Street in Mayfair. Most of them remained inside, cooling themselves with both store-bought and home-made fans. Mothers made refreshing beverages while children ran about their yards, yelling to each other excitedly. Husbands kissed their wives as they left for work. Life continued on, and the residents of Ravall Street knew this well.

The main attraction that Ravall Street had was the large manor that stood at its end. It was a beautiful building unknown to most commoners. The manor was accompanied by a large fountain in front and a tremendous barn in the back. Aethonons and Hippogriffs stood proudly on the grounds, as if they were in front of an ancient castle. The gates to the manor were always closed, blocking anyone from a clear view of the place. Right where the two gates met, there was a family crest. A giant, iron "A" surrounded by two snakes, made up the crest of the family that owned the manor.

Inside the exquisite manor, the Anxium family had just returned from their latest holiday in Italy. The manor was bustling with life as the family unpacked their belongings and settled back into their home. The family's head House-elf, Dot, was positively delighted that her masters had returned home.

In his room, Alleister Anxium sighed and threw himself onto his bed. He was incurably bored. Dot was in the middle of fixing him an early lunch when Alleister was not even hungry. His mother, Celestia Anxium, had gone out to the yard with three of the House-elves; she was replacing the disillusionment charms on all of their livestock. As usual, Nazarius Anxium was at work; he worked in the Ministry of Magic as a Goblin liaison. Alleister did not even have anyone to talk to at the moment. He was terribly lonely.

Often Alleister had hoped to one day be given a brother or sister to keep him company. He saw how the Muggle children on Ravall Street played outside their houses each day. A few years ago Nazarius had explained to Alleister why having another baby was not as simple as he thought. He never approached the subject again.

Alleister wished he could play Quidditch; there was nothing he loved more than a good game of Quidditch. However, despite the manor's protective enchantments, if Alleister were to fly above the grounds he'd be able to be seen by Muggles. It only further depressed Alleister to know that he couldn't even test out his new Tinderblast that his father had bought him just before their holiday.

Alleister had secretly resolved that tonight he was going to sneak out and ride his Tinderblast. He knew he deserved to ride the broomstick he had haunted his father for. He was nervous at disobeying his parents, though. Alleister was known for being extremely well behaved. He loved his parents deeply and was always there to help them with whatever task they were currently working on. He helped his mother with the cleaning and cooking, and he assisted his father in tending to the grounds.

The boy was also excited for the upcoming autumn. After all, Alleister would be starting his first year of Hogwarts, and he couldn't wait to begin learning magic. He thought of his Hogwarts letter that had just arrived two days ago; the owl had found them at their hotel in Venice. Alleister's parents had always expected him to be accepted to the magical school; especially since he tended to lose control of his magic at times. His mother's shattered crystal vase and his father's collection of neckties, though repaired now, still served as a reminder of how powerful Alleister's young magic was. Apparently he had inherited the family's temper; he'd seen his father in rages quite like his own.

The eleven year old boy jumped off of his bed and began to head down to the main dining room. His clothes were enough proof of his family's wealth; he wore grey knickerbockers hemmed with golden thread and a small matching tailcoat that was tailored for him. His black shoes were shined and had not a single mark on them.

However, the boy's face showed nothing but pure friendliness. His eyes were a wonderful shade of aqua, his raven hair neatly combed. His smile was infectious; anyone who met Alleister Anxium knew of his charming smile. His mother told their dinner guests that they had once had a Veela in the family, and that Alleister had inherited a bit of charm as a result.

Alleister himself was often nervous that he would not be able to live up to his surname. He soon learned that a pure-blood family like his would not tolerate him shaming them in any way. Nazarius and Celestia were loving parents, but Alleister knew he had a name to uphold. He often asked his parents for their input on his decisions; the boy was eager to please and feared rejection.

His thoughts were interrupted by Dot, who was struggling with a heavy pitcher of pumpkin juice. He hurried over to the House-elf and quickly pulled the pitcher out of her small hands. Dot's eyes filled with tears as she backed away from her Young Master, bowing as she did so.

"Thank you, Master Alleister," Dot squeaked as she wiped tears from her face.

"I've told you before, Dot. You don't have to do everything." Alleister smiled as his words soothed the elf from her self loathing.

"Master Alleister is much too kind," Dot whispered.

Alleister heard a sliding door open and close. A few moments later, Celestia Anxium was inside the kitchen. She set her wand onto the nearest counter, and removed her dragon hide gloves. Alleister could tell that she had gone riding; Celestia had a fondness for riding her Aethonons.

"Mum, can I try out my new broomstick?" Alleister knew the answer already but felt he needed to ask again. He had to keep trying until his parents caved in.

Celestia sighed, running a cold hand through Alleister's hair. The boy relaxed at his mother's touch, and his aqua eyes found hers. Alleister felt his lips curling, his teeth slowly revealing themselves. Celestia smiled herself once she had seen her son doing so. His smile was enchanting; it seemed to tell his mother that everything was going to be all right. She basked in it gratefully.

"Mum?" The boy was watching his mother as her eyes glazed over. She often looked like that when she was deep in thought.

Celestia shook her head slightly, looking back at Alleister and blinking.

"Sorry," she said quickly, her cheeks turning pink. "Please excuse me. You know the effect your smile has on me, Al."

"I can't control it, Mum," Alleister responded defensively. His mother wrapped her right arm around him, squeezing the boy.

"I know you can't," she said. "You also know that you're not allowed to ride your broomstick during the day. The Muggles are suspicious enough already. I'm sorry, Al, but you know this is about our safety."

Alleister nodded. "I understand, Mum," he said, sitting down at the dining room table. His fingers drummed on the mahogany surface until Dot approached, placing his meal down in front of him.

"However," Celestia said suddenly, causing her son to look up in surprise, "I don't see why you wouldn't be able to fly at night. I will go with you, of course."

Alleister jumped up at once, causing his mother to take a step back in alarm. She grinned down at her son, who was beaming with excitement. He was going to go flying, and his mum had said it was all right! He didn't care that it was going to be the middle of the night. All he cared about was soaring through the air on his Tinderblast. With mild longing he glanced out the kitchen window and imagined himself soaring around the manor at twilight, his mother looking on with pride.

"Thanks, Mum!" Alleister exclaimed.

His mother lowered herself enough that she was now eye-to-eye with her son. Celestia Anxium's bright blue eyes bore into his, and Alleister realized that this was about more than just riding a broomstick. His mother's hands, still a bit cold despite the warm midsummer weather, were holding his.

"You're going to be great, Al," Celestia said to her son. "You're going to be a wonderful Quidditch player, and a great student as well. Your father and I will still love you no matter what house you're sorted in, or no matter what your interests are. We know that you will do the right thing."

Alleister smiled; his mother's words calmed and reassured him. He had been uneasy about his first year at Hogwarts ever since his acceptance letter had arrived. His mother had been a Ravenclaw, his father a Slytherin. Alleister had been consumed with worry over which house they'd want him to get into.

Alleister resolved to practice riding his broomstick as much as possible over the next year. He wasn't allowed to bring his broomstick to Hogwarts, since first year students were not allowed to join the house Quidditch teams. However, Alleister knew his mother would now be lenient in allowing him to practice at the manor at night. He was incredibly relieved that he would not have to do this behind Celestia's back. He shuddered at the thought of deceiving the person who had shown him all the love in the world. He knew that if he practiced enough he would make the Quidditch team after his first year, and his mother would be the reason for this success. He could not thank her enough for telling him what he had so desperately wanted to hear, as well as allowing him to finally ride his Tinderblast around the manor.

Celestia Anxium gave her son a hug, and Alleister couldn't help but relax in her arms. He no longer feared shaming her, for he felt they would love him no matter what.


	3. Alphard Black

**A/N: I do not own anything in the Potterverse; all credit goes to JK Rowling.**

Alphard Black & Arnold Gisned

Arnold Gisned could not believe what he was currently hearing. He was fidgeting in his seat beside his younger sister, Carolyn. Carolyn herself was watching their guest in amazement as Arnold had been a few moments ago. He glanced at his parents, but they too were captivated by the man that had arrived so unexpectedly at their home. At first, Arnold had thought that their visitor's arrival had been a practical joke. Yet after seeing each of his family member's astonished expressions he knew that none of them had put their guest up to this. Arnold had no other choice but to look at the guest again and voice his confusion aloud.

"Excuse me, sir," Arnold said slowly. "Would you mind repeating that last part? I don't think I understand."

The man who had introduced himself as Professor Albus Dumbledore nodded, smiling. His blue eyes twinkled with glee at having been the one to reveal this great secret to Arnold and his family. Arnold wanted to jump up and scream with pure joy, yet he resisted. There was no reason he should believe this man. If he allowed himself to believe the tales that this Professor Dumbledore was telling him, he would get his hopes up. He couldn't allow his hopes to be risen if there was such a great possibility of them being let down.

"Arnold Gisned," Professor Dumbledore said in a voice that sounded almost regal, "you are a wizard. This means that you possess magical powers. Furthermore, you have been invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. If you decide to accept your invitation to Hogwarts, you will learn how to use your magic to its fullest potential. Hogwarts is one of the most prestigious magical institutions in the world, and it is there that you will learn to control and master your skills."

As he did the first time Professor Dumbledore had said this, Arnold inhaled deeply and considered what he had just been told. Could it be true; could he really be a wizard? Why him, of all people?

"Sir?" Arnold said again. "Excuse me, but how is that possible? Both of my parents are not magical, so how can it be that I am?" He felt embarrassed; he hadn't wanted to prattle off like that. He was just too curious.

"A good question indeed," Professor Dumbledore said. "There are times in all of our family histories that either a witch or a wizard married a Muggle. A Muggle, Arnold, is a term used to speak of someone who does not possess magical powers." Professor Dumbledore glanced at David and Joanne and gave a subtle nod. "Please excuse me. The term is not meant to offend."

Out of the corner of his eye, Arnold saw his parents smile. Professor Dumbledore practically radiated of kindness and respect. Arnold decided that he believed the Hogwarts teacher.

"Strictly speaking," Professor Dumbledore continued, "the witch or wizard who marries a Muggle still passes down the magical gene in their children. The gene will sometimes remain dormant for many generations, but sooner or later, a magical child will be born in that family. Magical children in Muggle family lines usually emerge at random; it may take centuries for the magical gene to appear once more. This is how you came to be a wizard, Arnold.

"You, Arnold, are what we call a Muggle-born wizard. This does not give you any disadvantage, nor does it give you any advantage, to any other child at Hogwarts. It simply makes you a wizard, just like the other witches and wizards you would attend school with."

Arnold nodded. He felt his lips curling throughout the professor's explanation of Muggle-born wizards. It was really true; he really was a wizard! Arnold fought the urge to get up and hug the older wizard for delivering this wonderful news.

However, something that Professor Dumbledore had said was bothering him. The word Muggle was not new to Arnold; he and the rest of his family had been called Muggles before. Except the last time he had been called a Muggle, it had not been used in a benign way. _They_ had called him that when he'd first seen _them_.

Thinking of _them_ sent shivers down his spine, though he remembered _them_ quite clearly. Arnold had never really feared another person until he had met the Blacks.

Arnold first met the Blacks when he was dining out with his family one year ago. They had tried a new restaurant, the Grey Goat Tavern, which was only two blocks from their Holloway home in London. His family had been in the process of ordering dessert when the Black family entered. Arnold had been helping Carolyn pick out what she wanted, since the six-year-old had a knack for choosing some especially messy dishes. When he had finally gotten his sister to settle for a treacle tart, he had looked up just in time to see the Black family striding towards a table near his family.

He was amazed at how the family moved. Every one of the Blacks strode with a dignified air, unmistakable nobility. Arnold had never seen any of them before; he would have remembered them if he had. There was no forgetting the way they commanded the attention of every person in the restaurant. Arnold was one of the first to have spotted them, yet after a few minutes almost everyone in the restaurant had been watching the family.

The Black family consisted of three children, although two of them were teenagers, and their parents. Each one of them sat down gracefully, and every one of them immediately placed their napkins on their laps as soon as they were seated. They did not look at the menu, nor did they speak amongst themselves. The man that appeared to be the family patriarch was eyeing the patrons in the restaurant with great disdain. In fact, the way he glared at the others around him made Arnold believe there was nothing less than hatred in his eyes. That look alone frightened Arnold, yet he could not take his eyes off of the family.

Throughout dessert Arnold barely paid attention to his own family's conversation. He listened in to what the Blacks were saying; he was trying to learn their names. He wanted to know who they were. Arnold couldn't describe why he was so fascinated with the Blacks. He couldn't understand where they had come from. Even stranger, Arnold thought, was the way the Blacks were dressed. They were wearing what seemed to be similar to the bathrobes he owned, except they were elegant and embroidered with jewels and colorful fabrics.

The men of the family wore turtleneck shirts underneath their robes, each one bearing a crest. The crest was also embroidered on the dresses the women wore, and Arnold had seen it on the youngest boy's cloak as well. Arnold had seen the words 'toujours pur' stand out on the crest, although he wasn't sure what it meant.

Arnold soon learned that the father of the family was not the Black he feared the most. He became almost terrified of the eldest child, whom he had heard the others address as Walburga. Arnold had initially thought that Walburga Black was very pretty and looked quite docile compared to the men. However, as he studied her more, he noticed something frightening about her eyes. They were a dull brown, but there was something else in them. Arnold saw a glimmer of pure madness in those brown eyes, as if Walburga Black was about to rise from her seat and attempt to murder each patron in the room. Arnold was about to look away when he saw Walburga's eyes meet his own, and they were positively gleaming with hatred and anger.

"What are you looking at?" Walburga demanded as she looked him up and down, scowling as she did so.

Arnold did not respond. Instead, he looked down at the floor. He felt his parents' worried gazes, and he could only hope Walburga would not create a scene. He had been staring at the Blacks for quite some time and he knew it was rude to do so. Arnold had just decided to apologize to the eldest Black child when she spoke once more in her velvety voice.

"I asked you why you were looking at me," Walburga said. She was still glaring at him, and Arnold was dismayed to see that now the others in her family were watching him as well. All of them had the same look in their eyes as they looked at Arnold: hatred.

"'Burga, don't bother with him," the middle child said to his sister. He had dirty blonde hair and steel grey eyes that also had a mad glimmer in them. "He's only a filthy Muggle."

Muggle? What on Earth was a Muggle? Arnold had never heard the word before, but assumed it was something foul from the way that the boy had said it. Arnold was frightened. He didn't know who these people were or why they hated him so, but they were now causing a scene.

"Excuse me," David Gisned said angrily to the teenage boy at the other table. "Who do you think you are, talking to my son like that?"

Walburga laughed; an insane cackle that caused many other patrons to begin watching the exchange. Her mother, a rather lumpy woman, was laughing as well. They were watching Arnold and his family with mild amusement, yet the look of pure hatred was still present.

"I am Cygnus Black," the boy said, as if he expected Arnold and his family to jump at the sound of his name. "I belong to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. I wouldn't expect _you_ lot to know the name. After all, you're only foul Muggles."

Cygnus sat back, grinning, his eyes dancing with pleasure. Arnold glanced at his father, who was turning redder by the minute. He wanted to ask what a Muggle was, but he knew this was not the time. His mother had her hand on his father's shoulder; she was whispering in his ear that they should just leave. David then told his family they were leaving and got up to pay for their dinner.

Arnold glanced at the youngest boy, just out of habit. He found his gaze lingering on the young boy; he looked about the same age as Arnold, yet he possessed the same dignified poise as the rest of his family. His eyes were different, though. They did not shine with madness or hatred. In fact, Arnold thought he saw sorrow in the hazel eyes. When the boy realized he was being watched, he merely smiled at Arnold. It was a quick smile, nothing his family would have registered, but Arnold saw it. He appreciated the fact that not all of them were mad.

Arnold stood up at the same time as his mother and father. He took Carolyn's hand as she stood and led her out the door behind his parents. He could hear Walburga's wild laughter as they exited. Her laugh seemed to echo in his mind even after they had left the restaurant and had begun walking toward their home.

"Dad, what's a Muggle?" Arnold finally asked. If he was going to be insulted, he at least wanted to know what the word meant.

However, David only shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, son," he said quietly. "It's probably just a nasty word that boy made up to insult us. I wouldn't pay it any mind, Arnold."

Suddenly, Arnold heard someone calling out to them. All four Gisneds turned abruptly upon hearing the voice. Arnold grinned at what he saw. The youngest Black boy was running towards them. He was stumbling quite a bit as he tried to reach the Gisned family; it was a refreshing change from the regal grace he had possessed in The Grey Goat Tavern.

"Hey, wait!" the boy exclaimed again, running hard to catch up even though the family had stopped moving.

"Do you know him?" David asked his son. Arnold shook his head.

The Black boy caught up to them after another moment. He was panting hard, bending over and leaning a hand against the wall. When he finally caught his breath he looked up at the family of four, smiling shyly.

"Er, hi," he said quietly. "My name is Alphard Black."

"I'm Arnold Gisned," Arnold replied at once, returning Alphard's smile.

"I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry," said Alphard. "My family doesn't like Muggles very much. I do, but I can't tell them that or my mum will toss me out."

David put a strong hand on Alphard's shoulders. The boy looked up at Arnold's father with awestruck eyes, visibly touched by the kind gesture. Arnold couldn't help but wonder what Alphard's life was like with such a cold family. He pitied the boy, but was glad to see that he was different from the rest of his family.

"It's all right, son," David said to Alphard. "You're very brave to come out here and say that to us."

Alphard grinned and nodded, causing his raven hair to fall in front of his face. Unlike Cygnus, whose sandy hair had been swept back and neatly combed, Alphard's was wild and messy. Arnold wondered how he did not see how different this boy was from the others in his family.

"I don't get to see other people that much," Alphard said sadly. He looked around as he spoke, as if he was expecting one of his family members to jump out from an alleyway at any moment. Arnold didn't really blame him. "My father doesn't think we should speak to Mu-, er, people like you."

"What do you mean, Alphard?" asked Joanne. Arnold's mother had been quiet throughout the evening, but her curiosity took precedence and she spoke at last.

"Er," Alphard began, running a hand through his messy hair, "My family is pure-blood, and they think they're better than other people because of that. I think it's rubbish, but I can't tell them that. My mum has a tapestry of my family, you see, and if we're bad she says she'll blow us off the tapestry."

The boy spoke well for his age, which further showed his refined nature. He had clearly been well educated in the Black house. Arnold was beginning to like Alphard Black; he had shown his true colors by simply running out to tell them he was sorry for his family's behavior.

"I don't know what being pure-blood means, exactly," David said, "but I understand what you mean. How old are you, Alphard?"

"I'm ten, Sir," he said quietly.

David exchanged a surprised look with Joanne before returning to Alphard. "My son, Arnold, is ten also. If you are ever in need of a friend, we live just down the street there. You see that house right there?" David pointed toward their home, just down the block from the restaurant they had just been to. "That's our home, and you are welcome to come there anytime that you wish. Anytime you need anything, anything at all, do not hesitate to knock on our door."

Alphard's hazel eyes began to brim with tears. He was fighting them, it was obvious, but Arnold saw them nonetheless. The boy had obviously never been shown this much kindness before. "I-" he began, and then stopped suddenly. He shook violently as he fought back more tears.

Carolyn, who had not understood much of what had happened thus far, seemed to see the struggle Alphard was having. She quickly stepped towards the boy and hugged him tightly. David and Joanne looked on with pride as their young daughter showed such a kind gesture toward the boy. She hugged him for more than a minute before he started to sob.

David and Joanne exchanged a sad look as the boy cried into Carolyn's shoulder. He was taller than her by a few inches and his head was buried into her shoulder. He continued to sob, uttering a wail of despair as he tried to control himself. David bent down and grasped the boy's shoulder again. Joanne looked as if she might cry any moment herself. Arnold moved towards Alphard as well.

When the boy was done crying, Carolyn released him from her arms and helped him wipe his tears from his face. Arnold had never seen his little sister show such compassion and understanding. She used the sleeve of her cloak to wipe away the tears from his cheeks, and his lips curled into a small smile.

"My name is Carolyn," she said quietly. "Don't be sad, Alphard. You can come over any time you want. Right, Dad? Mum?"

Both parents nodded immediately. David still had his hand on Alphard's shoulder, and he used it to guide the boy so he was standing in front of him.

"Alphard," he said quietly, "you are welcome any time that you wish. I don't know what those people in there," he gestured toward the Grey Goat, where the Black family was currently sitting, "have done to you, but I'm here for you. The same goes for the rest of my family. Don't ever think that you don't have anyone to go to, son."

The boy almost broke out into tears again, but he restrained himself this time. He seemed to realize how long he had been gone from his family, as his eyes were suddenly nervous again.

"T-thank you, Sir," he said quietly. "I'm sorry I c-cried, but no one has ever asked me to c-come over before. No one has ever told me that I w-was… welcomed."

"You're welcome with us," Arnold said. Alphard glanced at him and smiled once more. Arnold put his hand out and Alphard took it at once. "My name is Arnold Gisned. If you want, we can be friends. Your parents don't have to find out. We won't tell them, will we, Dad?"

"No, of course not," David said, glancing once again in the direction of the Grey Goat. "And you don't have to call me 'Sir,' Alphard. Mister Gisned is just fine. I normally would not allow a boy your age to be in my home without a parent's permission. However, your family has obviously hurt you in some way, and because of that we will not tell them anything."

Alphard grinned widely, showing almost all of his teeth. His eyes shone with pure glee. Arnold was smiling as well; he didn't have many friends. The other boys in his school liked to tease him and steal his glasses off of his face.

Alphard glanced back towards the Grey Goat again. He looked down at the ground for a moment, as if thinking hard, and then looked up at Arnold.

"I'd like that," he said finally. Then, he looked at David hesitantly, apparently not used to talking to a grown-up that was not his stern, cold father. "Sir- I mean, Mister Gisned, may I come over tomorrow? My parents will be at work for the day. Is that all right?" He looked up hopefully at David.

"Of course, Alphard," David said. "Arnold will be home, won't you son?"

Arnold nodded. "Can you come over at noon?" The boy could not hide the eagerness in his voice. He had never been popular at school; in fact, the majority of the boys took to bullying Arnold because he was smaller and weaker than them. They would often steal his glasses and tease him. Arnold was thrilled at the prospect of a new friend.

Alphard nodded enthusiastically. He too looked excited to have a new friend. Arnold assumed from the way he had reacted to being invited over his house that he had not had many friends. His terribly prejudiced family was undoubtedly the reason.

"I'll be over at noon, then," Alphard said finally.

Arnold grinned. "All right, see you then," he said to the boy in front of him.

Alphard took a few steps back toward the restaurant, and then turned on his heel to face Arnold and his departing family.

"Thank you," he said quietly. "All of you."

Carolyn grinned and waved, while Joanne and David beamed at the young boy.

"You don't have to thank us, dear," Joanne said. She had a longing look in her eyes, as if she wished to run and give the boy a hug.

"Don't be a stranger now, son," David said right after.

Alphard nodded, still smiling, and then looked at Arnold.

"I hope we can be good friends," he said to Arnold, who nodded in agreement. Alphard then glanced towards the restaurant and sighed. "See you tomorrow," he said quietly before starting off back to the Grey Goat.

Arnold walked towards his home with the rest of his family, but he couldn't help glancing back at the Grey Goat every now and then. He saw Alphard reenter the restaurant, and Arnold couldn't help but wonder what excuse he was going to give his family for leaving for so long. He wondered if they would even care that their ten year old son had gone missing for a good twenty minutes. Either way, he was sure it would be uncomfortable for his new friend. However, Alphard was probably too excited about being invited to his first friend's house to care what his family had to say.

Arnold glanced up at his mother and father. They were exchanging dark looks. He looked away and took Carolyn's hand in his. His little sister glanced at him when he did this, but quickly smiled and squeezed his hand. All of his family members had shown incredible kindness that evening, and Arnold respected them all for it. It was not like he hadn't known his family to be kind; he was merely thankful that their kindness had made his new friend utterly bouncing with joy. 

Ever since that night, Alphard Black and Arnold Gisned became close friends. They grew closer and closer each day, as Alphard continued to sneak over to the Gisneds' home as soon as his parents went to work. Curiously, Alphard had told Arnold that he lived at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, which was just four blocks down and one block over from Arnold's home. However, when Arnold had snuck down there to get another glimpse of the Blacks, he found that there was no Number Twelve.

Until the day that Professor Dumbledore had arrived at his home, Arnold had always felt as if Alphard was keeping a secret from him. Now that he had learned he was a wizard he was convinced that the Blacks were magical as well. They wore robes like Professor Dumbledore and they had referred to Arnold's family as Muggles. Arnold needed to talk to Alphard; he had to find out if his best friend was a wizard as well.

Alphard arrived at Arnold's house in the middle of the afternoon, just a few minutes after Professor Dumbledore had left. Arnold had the door open before the other boy could even knock. Alphard was grinning and he had a letter clutched in his left hand; it looked just like the letter that Arnold had been given, telling him of his acceptance to Hogwarts and what items he would need for school.

"Alph," Arnold said, "I have so much to ask you!" He could barely contain his excitement. He had controlled himself in front of his family and Professor Dumbledore, but now that he was with his best friend he could really show how he felt about finding out he was a wizard.

Alphard's grin grew wider. "I know! I saw Professor Dumbledore leaving your house when I was on my way over. I waited for him to Disapparate before I came over. You got accepted to Hogwarts, didn't you?"

Arnold nodded and Alphard punched the air in triumph. "Yes!" Alphard exclaimed with joy. He then turned to Arnold, his hazel eyes once again dancing with glee. "I really hoped that you would turn out to be a wizard! I'm sorry I didn't tell you about magic before. It's sort of a rule in our world that we can't let Muggles know what we are."

Arnold nodded once more. He had so many questions for Alphard, yet he had no idea where to begin. He didn't want to start prattling on; he didn't want to irritate his friend with dozens of questions. He suddenly realized that the two boys were still standing in the doorway of his home. Alphard seemed to realize this too, for he scurried in quickly. Arnold shut the door, knowing that Alphard was always afraid that Cygnus or Walburga would follow him to Arnold's house.

The two friends sat down upon a sofa in the sitting room. Arnold settled for asking Alphard his most pondered question yet; would Alphard's parents approve of him now that he was a wizard, too?

"You know," Arnold said, "I could meet your family now, right? They didn't like me because they thought I was a Muggle, but I'm not!"

Alphard's face fell, his eyes locked onto the floor. "You still can't meet them," he said sadly. "It's a bit hard to explain, but if you want I'll give it a go."

"Go on, then," Arnold encouraged. He wasn't the least bit disappointed at hearing he would not be able to meet the Blacks. They seemed very foul to Arnold. He had only wondered if Alphard's life could be made easier by not having to sneak around or hide his friendship with Arnold. It did not really surprise him that this could not be done.

"There are some witches and wizards that have no Muggles in their family line," Alphard said slowly, as if telling a complicated arithmetic problem. "We call them pure-bloods. My family is pure-blood, and as you saw that day at the Grey Goat, they really hate Muggles. To them, Muggle-borns are the same as Muggles. People like my family believe that Muggle-borns have no right to use magic, because they have dirty blood. There's a foul name that people like my family use to insult Muggle-borns, but I reckon you wouldn't want to hear it."

Alphard's eyes once again fluttered to the ground. He appeared to be greatly ashamed to have told his best friend that some people would not approve of him being a wizard because of his parents. Arnold didn't mind; there was all types of prejudice in the world and it didn't surprise him that the magical world had prejudiced people as well. He looked at Alphard and saw he was extremely uncomfortable. Arnold guessed that Alphard didn't agree with his family's beliefs.

"I want to hear the name, Alph," Arnold said strongly. "If some people at Hogwarts are going to call me by that name, I want to hear it first."

Alphard looked even more distressed by this. This was clearly a topic he hated to get into with his Muggle-born best friend. However, after a few seconds he nodded, although reluctantly.

"Mudblood," he said finally. "The word is Mudblood."

Arnold nodded. He had expected something much worse. There were words that he heard some of the neighbors calling each other late at night that were much fouler than the word Mudblood. Arnold surprised Alphard when he began to laugh.

Alphard looked up, his hazel eyes no longer showing guilt and sadness. He smiled as Arnold laughed harder, clutching his sides. Alphard began to laugh as well. Soon the two boys were doubled over on the sofa, howling with laughter.

"What is this, Arnold? Alphard?" Joanne had come in the room, startled by the noise of their laughter.

From the moment Alphard Black had arrived at their home the day after the incident at the restaurant, Joanne Gisned had loved and treated Alphard as one of her own. The boy was deeply touched, having never received his own mother's love, and normally behaved properly when in her home. The sight of the two boys rolling on the floor with laughter had brought a wide smile on Joanne's lined face. She loved Alphard as one of her own, and it moved her that the boy was actually happy for a change.

"Mum, I'm a Mudblood!" Arnold exclaimed, sending the boys into another fit of laughter.

Joanne Gisned gave the boys a confused look before returning to the kitchen. The boys continued laughing as Alphard sat down in a squishy armchair across from Arnold. Their glee was short-lived, however, when Arnold saw Alphard wince as he learned back in his chair. Arnold knew why; he had seen this before.

"Where is it this time?" Arnold asked him with a knowing look.

"My back," Alphard muttered as he stared at the floor once more. "I was cleaning the drawing room today. I accidentally dropped two of my mum's china plates. Mum heard them break and she called Father downstairs. It was the belt again."

Arnold clenched his fists, trying his best to stifle his anger. This was the third time this week that Pollux Black had used his belt to beat his youngest son. It had taken all of the Gisneds many months to get used to the fact that the boy was beaten regularly at home. There was nothing they could do except offer their home as a place of refuge for Alphard.

"Don't worry, Alph," Arnold said. "Soon we'll be at Hogwarts!"

Alphard's eyes found the floor once more. "That's what I've been worrying about. Cygnus is still at Hogwarts and so is my cousin Orion. If I don't get into Slytherin, or I get into trouble, they'll tell my mum and dad."

"What's a Slytherin?" Arnold inquired, hoping to take Alphard's mind off of his family troubles for a moment.

Alphard looked up and smirked. "Right, sorry," he said. "I forgot that you're new to this. Slytherin is one of the four Hogwarts houses. When we get to Hogwarts, we'll be sorted into one of the four houses. It all depends on what your strengths are."

"Really?" Arnold was intrigued now. He wanted Alphard to explain everything to him. He absorbed each word hungrily. "What are the other houses?"

"There's Gryffindor, which values bravery and chivalry. Then there's Ravenclaw, where the really smart ones go. There's also Hufflepuff, which takes the loyal and kind." Alphard paused for a moment to catch his breath.

"So what kind of people does Slytherin take?" Arnold asked. Although he wasn't sure that any house that accepted Cygnus Black was that good of a house after all.

"Slytherin takes the ambitious and cunning," Alphard explained as his eyes filled with sadness. "My whole family's been in Slytherin. There's a lot of pure-bloods in Slytherin. It's the house that's known for turning out a lot of Dark wizards."

"Oh," Arnold said, not knowing what else to say. "Is your family, you know, Dark?"

"Oh yes," Alphard confirmed. "They love the Dark Arts. There's all sorts of books on Dark curses and hexes in the library at home."

"Oh," Arnold said again. Suddenly he was not as excited for Hogwarts anymore. Alphard would likely be put in Slytherin, and Arnold would not because he was not a pure-blood. Also, if Cygnus recognized him, he would realize that Arnold was Muggle-born. If he caught Arnold hanging around Alphard, it would be much worse. Arnold didn't want his friend to be hurt, yet he didn't want to experience Hogwarts and the world of magic without him.

Alphard nodded solemnly. "Now you see my problem, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do," replied Arnold quietly. "I wish your family wasn't so foul."

Alphard nodded again, frowning. "As do I," he said. Then, he looked up at Arnold, his hazel eyes dancing impishly. "You know, I'm going to run away when I'm older. I'll be smarter then, and I'll get away from them. It's the sort of thing that keeps my going."

"Well, if you do, you can always come here. You're here enough anyway to be a part of the family," Arnold said with a grin. He couldn't help but grin at the thought of Alphard never being beaten again. He could understand why the idea of running away was so appealing to Alphard.

"Arnold?" Alphard said in a low voice. "Can I tell you something?"

"Yeah," Arnold replied. "You can tell me anything, Alph."

"Er, well," Alphard started, "I just wanted to thank you for being such a good friend. No one's ever been as nice to me as you are."

Arnold smiled. "What are friends for?"


	4. Eileen Prince

**A/N: This is the last introduction. Next chapter, the story will begin to progress (and get interesting). This story is taking place in the year 1945, which is a year where a lot of things happen. For one thing, Dumbledore's defeat of Grindlewald will be featured, along with the Chamber of Secrets opening and Tom Riddle's acquisition of the Peverell ring. The first official chapter will be posted sometime in the next day or so. As I mentioned in my profile, the majority of this story has already been written thus updates will come rather frequently. Thanks to those who have put this story on Story Alert / Favorite Stories, and to Cassia4u, my first reviewer. I hope this chapter makes enough sense; if some things aren't quite clear just let me know and I will fix it.**

**Also, I do not own anything in the Potterverse. I'm sure you knew that already. **

****Violette Black & Eileen Prince

Spinner's End had never been a friendly-looking neighborhood. It consisted of two wizarding households, both houses run down with cracked windows and missing shingles. There was a small road that led into town, yet it was poorly paved. The smaller of the two houses on the outskirts of the nearby mill town had once been white. The shingles had faded over time and now the house appeared to be a mix of yellow and brown. Vines clung to the roof while weeds took over the yard and the walkway to the house.

Inside the small cottage, Violette Black had just woken up from a terrible nightmare. The young girl sat up in her bed, panting heavily. She could feel her heart racing even still. Violette hated having nightmares. They made her feel weak.

She got up slowly from her bed and tiptoed through the hallway. She was extra cautious when passing her mother's room, yet she was relieved to see her mother sleeping peacefully in her bedroom. Violette quickly approached their small kitchen and grabbed a cracked pitcher of juice. She withdrew a cup from a dusty cupboard, wiped it down with her sleeve, and poured some of the juice into it. She gulped the drink down quickly.

Violette was beginning to get used to this midnight routine. Ever since her Hogwarts acceptance letter had arrived, she found herself worrying more often than before.

Once Violette had received her Hogwarts letter, her mother finally told her a bit about her father. It was a subject that Naptista hated to speak of. However, with Violette going off to Hogwarts soon, she would need to know what she would inevitably discover at school.

What Violette learned about her father had infuriated her. She pitied Naptista for the sadness and heartbreak she'd had to deal with over the years. She and her mother had very little money; they never wasted a single Knut on anything they didn't need. Violette learned very early in life that although it was hard to live in poverty, there were more important things than money.

However, Violette could not help feeling furious when she found out that her father had left them in squalor. Not only had he left them, but he had an entire family now. His family was quite wealthy, and both of his children were even older than Violette. Violette was ashamed and disgusted to possess the Black surname. She was nothing like Arcturus Black and his 'better' family.

Violette pushed the angry thoughts of Arcturus out of her mind. It wouldn't last long; if she wasn't fuming over her father's deception, she was worrying about how Arcturus's other children would treat her at Hogwarts. For now, she tried to distract herself by going for a walk. Violette had a feeling someone else would be awake.

She stepped out into the warm August night and hurried to the house next door. When she walked to the back of the house, she saw a candle lighting a small room to the far right. Violette grinned and ran over to the window, lightly knocking on the glass.

Eileen was at the window within a few seconds. She smiled when she saw Violette, her onyx eyes glowing in the moonlight. Eileen unlocked the window and beckoned Violette to enter her bedroom.

Violette quickly hoisted herself up onto the familiar ledge of the window. She pushed herself inside and Eileen promptly shut the window behind her. Violette took a seat on the edge of Eileen's bed. She was beyond relieved that her best friend was awake at this hour. The two girls were always there for each other.

"Did you have another nightmare?" Eileen asked, surveying her disheveled appearance and the hair still stuck to her forehead.

"Yeah," Violette confirmed, "but that's not really the worst part. I can't stop thinking about my father."

"I know what you mean," Eileen said glumly. Her father had committed suicide when Eileen was only six years old. Violette knew that Eileen secretly blamed herself for her father's death.

"Er," Violette began in an attempt to change the subject. "D'you want to come with my mum and me to Diagon Alley tomorrow?" She had asked Eileen months ago but had never mentioned it since. She'd been so preoccupied with the news of her father's true identity.

"Yeah!" Eileen said happily. "We're going to stop at some of the secondhand stores, aren't we? Mum said that Leugo's Book Nook has the cheapest books..." She trailed off, glancing nervously at Violette.

Violette, on the other hand, was reminded once more of her father. Arcturus's family did not have to shop at secondhand stores like she and Eileen did. The Prince family was just as pure-blood as the Blacks, and Violette's mother's family was pure-blood down the line as well. The great difference between them and the Blacks was that their ancestors had squandered their family fortunes generations ago, while the Blacks retained their wealth. Violette herself was a Black; she became worried as she imagined how the Black children would react to her bearing their surname while wearing tattered robes.

"Vi? Hello?" Eileen said rather loudly, rousing Violette from her nervous thoughts. She felt her cheeks growing warm as she noticed her friend's worried look.

"Sorry," she said quietly. "I was thinking about Hogwarts again."

Eileen sighed. "Look, Vi, we've talked about this. The Blacks are just people! Plus, Lucretia would be out of Hogwarts by now, wouldn't she? That only leaves Orion, and once he sees you make Slytherin he'll shut it."

Violette nodded. Eileen was right; Arcturus's eldest child would be about nineteen years old by now. She wished she had family on her mother's side waiting for her at Hogwarts. Naptista was very secretive about her side of the family. The only two things that Violette was told about them were that they were bad people and they were all Slytherins. She also knew that her grandfather's name was Morfin Gaunt, but she had only found that out when she had read a letter delivered to Naptista by a barn owl when her mother wasn't home. The letter had been from a professor at Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, informing Naptista that Morfin had been sentenced to life in Azkaban. Apparently, a few months ago, Morfin had readily confessed to the murder of three Muggles. The letter had sent chills down Violette's spine.

Violette and Eileen both expected to be sorted into Slytherin like their ancestors before them. Violette considered herself lucky that she would have her best friend with her at Hogwarts. Naptista was absolutely certain that Violette would be in Slytherin house, although when prompted she would not explain why. She never pushed the topic with her mother for she knew how upset it made her.

"I'm glad you'll be there with me," said Violette with a smile. Eileen's support meant a great deal to her.

"So am I," Eileen agreed. "When we make it into Slytherin, we'll face Orion Black together. We're pure-bloods, Vi, so it shouldn't be that bad. It's not as if we're Mudbloods."

Violette glanced at Eileen, whose sallow face quickly turned red as she murmered an apology. She knew Violette disliked the word 'Mudblood.'

"Anyway," Violette continued, "I've been saving some money for awhile now. I think I'll have enough to buy an owl from Eeylop's." She had always wanted an owl of her own; her mother's screech owl tended to bite. She'd been saving her birthday money for years in order to afford one when she turned eleven years old.

"Brilliant!" Eileen beamed at her friend. "You'll let me use it sometimes, right?"

"Of course," Violette replied. "You can use it anytime you'd like. What's mine is yours."

"Thanks, Vi," Eileen said softly.

Violette nodded once more. She and Eileen had been through everything together. Since they had both grown up in poverty, the girls had gotten used to sharing what little they had with one another.

Violette Black smiled to herself. She would not have to face the other Black children by herself. It relieved her greatly to know that Eileen would be by her side. She began thinking of how nice Hogwarts was actually going to be.

Her worries about the Black family had finally vanished. She was not alone, and she would face her half-sibling with her best friend. Violette was incredibly thankful for Eileen's encouraging words. Thanks to their situations, both girls knew that there were some things money could not buy. Friendship was one of those things; Violette would give up all the Galleons in the world for Eileen's support and love.

Suddenly, Violette was no longer nervous. She was ready.


	5. Hogwarts Express

**A/N: Okay, here we go, the story is officially beginning! I thought that the previous four chapters would give you, the reader, a bit of insight on the backgrounds of the different characters (both canon and OC). Thanks to everyone that has been reading, reviewing, and adding this story to their alert or favorites. I'm really glad that there are others interested in this story! The next chapter should be up in two days.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Potterverse. I do, however, own Alleister Anxium and the rest of the OCs.  
><strong>

Chapter One : Hogwarts Express  
><em>September 1st, 1944<em>  
><em>POV: Alastor Moody<em>

Alastor and Eleanor Moody arrived at Platform Nine and Three Quarters to find it crowded with both students and their families. Alastor was pushing his trolley through the crowd while his mother trailed behind him holding the cage that now contained Vic, his new owl. Mothers were hugging their children, crying and wishing them luck. Fathers looked on with pride as their sons and daughters boarded the train. Alastor felt a pang of sadness that his own father would not be one of them.

His heart was racing with excitement. Although his mother had told him about the platform, he had never been there before. He had enjoyed passing through the barrier at King's Cross Station. He looked over at the crimson train that was the Hogwarts Express and grinned. This was it - he was going to Hogwarts!

Alastor's train of thought was interrupted when someone bumped into him with considerable force. He turned to apologize, though he had done nothing wrong, for he was not eager to make any enemies before he even arrived at school.

He faced a tall, older boy whose sandy hair had been slicked back. The boy already had on his school robes and Alastor recognized the emerald trim and serpent crest. The Slytherin glared at Alastor with steel grey eyes.

"Watch where you're going, runt," the older boy hissed at Alastor.

"_You_ bumped into _me_," Alastor replied with an equally malicious tone. "I think it's _you_ that needs to watch where _you're_ going."

The boy's eyes widened at the first year's cheek. He took a step closer to Alastor, but the younger boy did not even flinch. Years of growing up under the influence of a successful Auror had taught Alastor not to let others intimidate him so easily. He felt that he would be disgracing Victor Moody's memory if he let a slimy Slytherin push him around. His father, the epitome of courage, wouldn't have stood for that and neither would Alastor.

"You ought to remember who it is you're talking to," the Slytherin warned.

"Cygnus!" another older boy called out to the sandy-haired Slytherin.

The boy named Cygnus turned around upon hearing his name. Alastor saw that another tall boy wearing Slytherin robes was waving at Cygnus. This boy had longer, jet black hair, yet he had the same grey eyes as Cygnus. He also had his head held high in a regal way, much like Cygnus. Alastor guessed that these two were related somehow.

"I'm coming, Orion," Cygnus said to his fellow Slytherin. Then he turned toward Alastor once more. Alastor wanted to draw his wand yet he knew it would be useless; he had not gotten to try any of the spells he'd learned over the summer. He was certain that even if he did know a decent amount of hexes, the two older boys would easily overpower him.

"I'd watch your back if I were you," Cygnus drawled. "If you ever talk to me like that again, I'll make sure you end up in St. Mungo's. Do you hear me, scum?"

Alastor boldly stood his ground, yet he said nothing. Cygnus and Alastor continued to glare at each other for another moment before Cygnus gave him one last sneer and strode off. He caught up with the boy named Orion and the pair soon disappeared into the crowd.

Alastor sighed and made his way through the mob of students and parents. He looked around for his mother, who still had his owl and would not have left without seeing him off. It was possible that she might have seen someone she knew or someone from the Ministry. His father had only been dead for less than a month; people were always stopping to offer their condolences to Eleanor. The article in the _Daily Prophet_ that featured a tribute to Victor Moody had increased those stops. In fact, Alastor had found the piece so touching that it was packed in his Hogwarts trunk.

As he moved through the crowd, he finally spotted his mother near the head of the train. He had guessed correctly; Eleanor was talking to a woman and her raven haired son. Alastor hurried over to her so fast that he was panting when he reached her. Eleanor smiled at him as he took a moment to catch his breath.

"Alastor, I'd like you to meet Madam Anxium and her son, Alleister." His mother gestured to the woman and boy she had been chatting with.

Alastor smiled at the boy and shook his hand politely. Alleister smiled at him and Alastor was stunned. He had brilliantly straight, perfect, white teeth. The ends of the boy's lips were curled at just the right angle to create small dimples. Alastor was awed and he couldn't help but stare. He finally pulled his gaze away long enough to glance at his mother. She, too, was watching the boy with intense wonder. Alleister scowled, looking up at his own mother as his smile turned into a frown of frustration.

Madam Anxium laughed lightly and ruffled her son's hair. Alastor sadly thought of how his father had once done the same thing to his own hair. "I'm sorry," she said to both Alastor and Eleanor. "Al tends to, er, _dazzle_ others when he smiles. My best guess is that he inherited his great-grandmother's Veela charm, but he disagrees."

"Mum!" Alleister cried out, his scowl deepening. "Veelas are _girls_! I'm not a _girl_!"

Alastor couldn't help but chuckle at the scene in front of him. He liked this woman and her son. Madam Anxium was now attempting to smooth Alleister's hair back into place. The boy himself was holding patiently still, though his cheeks were now scarlet. Alastor noticed that although Alleister was embarrassed by his mother's fussing, he made no attempts to stop her. Alastor had a good relationship with his mother, but Alleister seemed to have a very strong bond with his.

"Well, you boys should be off," Eleanor said. "You'll need to get seats on the train!"

Alastor and Alleister both nodded and glanced at each other. They grabbed their trolleys and owls as both mothers approached to bid their sons farewell. Madam Anxium threw her arms around Alleister, hugging him tightly and kissing the top of his head. Alastor hugged his own mother, feeling his stomach grow sour as he noticed he could feel her bones over her skin in certain places. Eleanor had not been eating well since her husband's death; Alastor had assumed she was eating when he was not around to see her. He was suddenly very desperate to go home with her. He wondered to himself how she would get on without her husband _and_ her son.

Alastor whispered in her ear, hoping for her to listen to him just this once. "Mum, do you love me?" he asked sincerely.

"Of course I do!" Eleanor said in a voice that was barely a whisper. "Why would you even ask that, Alastor?"

"If you really love me, and you really love Dad," he whispered, ignoring how his mother had flinched when he mentioned Victor, "then you'll eat normal again and take care of yourself."

"Oh, Alastor," she sighed. "I am so sorry. I never expected it to be this hard. I just keep thinking about how he should be here, too."

"He is, Mum," Alastor said quickly, hearing the train's whistle blow. "He's watching us, don't worry. Please take care of yourself, for both of us."

Eleanor pulled away from the embrace and smiled tearfully at her son. She nodded and squeezed his hand. Alastor took that as a sign that she would do what he asked. However, that wouldn't stop him from sending her a few owls each week.

He noticed then that Alleister was still waiting for him even though Madam Anxium had left. Eleanor turned to the other boy and he extended his hand for her to shake. She took it, showing just as much surprise as Alastor; this boy was very polite.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Madam Moody," Alleister said in a cheerful voice.

"Oh, I assure you, the pleasure is all mine!" Alastor's mother replied. Alastor studied her face, trying to memorize her as she was right then. Ever since his father's death, his mother rarely smiled. This was how he wanted to remember her while he was at school - the strong, radiant Eleanor Moody smiling with true happiness.

After a second, shorter hug, Alastor and Alleister started to head toward the Hogwarts Express. They broke into a sprint when the train's final whistle blew and by the time they had hauled their trunks on board with them both boys were panting hard.

"What year are you in?" Alastor asked his companion as they searched the train for a compartment to accommodate two boys and two large owls.

Alleister laughed. "I'm starting my first year. You're not the only one that's asked that here. My mum reckons I look a bit older, but I wish I didn't."

Alastor chuckled. After passing a few boys setting up a game of gobstones in one of the larger compartments, three girls looking out the window in another, a small boy and girl hoisting their trunks into a compartment on their right and a group of Ravenclaws already in uniform and having a fierce debate, Alastor found a compartment with two other boys that looked acceptable to them.

Alastor beckoned Alleister to approach with him and the two other boys looked up from their conversation. One of the boys appeared to recognize Alastor, though Alastor did not know him, for after glancing up at him his hazel eyes danced to the floor. The other boy had a book propped open on his lap and was looking at them with icy blue eyes magnified through horn-rimmed glasses. His hair was burnet and hung almost to his shoulders, while the shy boy's hair was untamed and as black as Alleister's.

"Mind if we join you?" Alleister asked.

The bespectacled boy grinned and nodded. Alastor moved to haul his trunk inside, but found that Alleister was already doing so. He then lifted his own trunk in and motioned for Alastor to enter the compartment.

When the four boys were situated a small silence lingered as each of them studied the others. Predictably, Alleister began the introductions.

"My name is Alleister Anxium," he said to the pair across from him. Alastor saw him flash his dazzling smile and Alastor looked away, not wanting to be caught staring once more. He looked back after a moment and saw that their companions had noticed Alleister's unintentional ability. Alleister sighed.

The quiet boy was looking at Alleister in awe. "That's some magic you've got there," he said. "Have you got a Veela in your family?"

Alleister groaned while Alastor guffawed at his new friend's frustration. Alleister quickly elbowed him in the ribs, although he was now laughing as well. "I reckon so," said Alleister in between fits of laughter.

The boy that had just spoken turned to Alastor, his features growing darker. He appeared to be gathering the courage to say something.

"You're Alastor Moody," he said finally. "The Auror's son, aren't you?"

"Yes," Alastor confirmed simply.

"I'm really sorry," the boy said, hazel eyes shining with sympathy. "You know, about your dad. He was a great Auror."

"He was an even better dad," Alastor told the boy. He was quite used to people offering their sympathy, but this boy actually seemed to mean it. "Thank you."

"I'm Alphard Black," the messy-haired boy said, now addressing Alleister as well. Alphard gestured to the boy next to him that was currently sneaking glances at the book in his lap. "This here is my best mate, Arnold Gisned."

Arnold looked up from his book and waved in greeting. "Nice to meet you," he said. He then looked at Alastor, brow furrowed in confusion. "Sorry, but what happened to your dad? You don't have to tell me, of course. I'm only asking because I've been looking through my book and I couldn't find anything about what an Auror is."

Alastor smiled. He speculated that this boy was a Muggle-born. Most wizarding children knew about Aurors.

"An Auror is someone who catches Dark wizards and puts them in Azkaban - that's the wizarding prison," Alastor explained as if he was quoting from a text. "My dad was an Auror, but he was killed by a Dark wizard named Grindlewald that's trying to rise to power in our world. My dad was the bravest person I've ever met."

Arnold looked down, clearly regretting his curiosity. "I'm sorry," he said slowly. "I didn't know. I'm Muggle-born, you see."

Alastor nodded as Alphard clapped his self-proclaimed best friend on the back. Alleister was looking at Alphard with curiosity. Alphard registered this and nodded in understanding.

"I know," Alphard said as if he had just read Alleister's mind. "You've heard of my family. I know that look. You're wondering how I'm allowed to have a Muggle-born friend. Well, I'm not. What Mummy doesn't know won't hurt her." He and Arnold exchanged a knowing look, smirking.

Alastor looked at Alleister for an explanation. "Sorry, Alphard," said Alleister. "I didn't mean any offense by that, honestly. I've heard so much about your family, Cygnus especially. My mum didn't get on well with your dad when they were in school, but Father works with him in the Ministry. I'm glad that you're different."

"Cygnus?" Alastor interrupted, voicing the thought he'd just had aloud. The boy that had bullied him on the platform was Alphard's brother? They certainly did not look like brothers, nor did they act even remotely similar.

Alphard nodded and fixed his eyes downward again. "He's my older brother, unfortunately. If you ask me he's a right git, but Mother and Father think he's the perfect heir."

"I met your brother on the platform," Alastor explained. "He sort of threatened me."

Alphard grimaced and nodded. "That's Cygnus, all right."

"What did he say to you?" Arnold asked, shutting his book and leaning back in his seat.

Alastor proceeded to tell all three of them exactly what had happened with Cygnus Black. Alphard scowled quite a few times, shaking his head in shame.

"That sounds like Cygnus," Arnold said. Alastor shuddered to think of what he could have said or done to the Muggle-born.

"I'm sorry he's such a prat," Alphard said quietly. "Orion is my cousin; he and Cygnus are inseparable. Just wait until you meet their friend Abraxas Malfoy. He's just as bad."

The other three boys nodded, all of them feeling sorry for Alphard. He had to _live_ with Cygnus, after all. Fortunately, the heavy silence was broken by a plump, red-headed witch pushing a trolley that had stopped just outside their compartment.

Alastor and Arnold both began to concentrate hard on the ground. They did not have much money to be spending on sweets, as much as they desired to. Arnold told Alastor quietly that he was especially eager to see what wizarding sweets existed, but his father had made many mistakes when converting his Muggle money. Due to those mistakes, Arnold did not have as much money as he'd have liked.

Alleister and Alphard took one look at their companions' disappointed looks and rose immediately from their seats. They both stuck their hands into their pockets and withdrew handfuls of gold. They stepped into the train's narrow corridor, leaving Alastor and Arnold wide-eyed at the amount of money they'd just seen. Minutes later, Alphard entered with armfuls of various treats. Alleister followed him inside with more sweets. Both boys were grinning wildly as they unloaded all the sweets on the two benches.

"Help yourselves," Alleister said to Arnold and Alastor as he grabbed a licorice wand from the nearest pile.

The two boys that had not contributed any money toward the treats exchanged reluctant looks. Neither of them wanted to impose themselves, despite both of their stomachs rumbling and Arnold's curiosity.

Alphard dropped a chocolate frog card onto his lap. He looked up and saw how uncomfortable Alastor and Arnold looked. "Oh, please," he said to them. "We bought the lot for _all_ of us. Don't be shy, go on!"

Arnold eyed the different candies with curiosity. Alphard grabbed a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and handed it to Arnold. He took it, opened it and peered inside. Alphard laughed.

"They're just flavored beans," Alphard said to his friend. "Be careful, though. There's some awful flavors in there, like vomit and earwax. Luck of the draw, mate."

Arnold gulped and placed a pink bean into his mouth. He smiled a second later. "Not bad!" he mumbled as he chewed. "Watermelon."

"All right," Alphard said encouragingly.

"Thank you, both of you," Alastor said in between pumpkin pasties.

"He's right," Arnold agreed. "Thank you."

Alleister grinned. "Anytime," he said. Alphard nodded in agreement.

Once all of the boys were full, they divided the remaining sweets and stored them in their trunks. It had happened that all four boys had brought an owl with them; they were incredibly useful to communicate with their parents. Alleister had brought owl treats in his trunk and he pulled them out to feed a few to each owl.

The boys took the opportunity to change into their Hogwarts robes, with Alleister moaning about their clothes shrinking from all the sweets they had eaten. When they had finished changing it was nearly nightfall. The sun had already gone down.

"What house do you lot want to make?" Alleister asked once they had all settled down.

"Gryffindor," Alastor answered without a moment's hesitation. "I want to be a lion like my father was."

Arnold shrugged. "From what Alph has told me, I think Ravenclaw will suit me best."

"My whole family's been in Slytherin," Alphard said, looking glum. "I'll be in Slytherin too, whether I want to be or not. My family will disinherit me if I get sorted anywhere else."

The other boys looked at Alphard with great sorrow. The poor boy would be stuck in the same house as the likes of his brother Cygnus. Alastor could tell that they would bully him and prevent him from seeing his Muggle-born best friend.

Arnold finally broke the pregnant silence. "Now, being that I'm a Muggle-born, I have a question," he said as his lips curled.

The others gave him their total attention. "Go ahead, then," Alleister encouraged.

"What the bloody hell is a Veela?" Arnold asked.

Alleister groaned almost immediately while the others laughed at the blushing boy.

The boys spent the remainder of the train ride talking about Veela. Alleister described their beauty. Alastor spoke of their dangerous side. Alphard explained the Veelas' effect on others. They laughed and occasionally snuck more sweets out of their trunks.

Suddenly, the train slowed and whistled three times. Alastor looked out the window nearest to him and saw that the train had arrived at its destination. The others began gathering their things and straightening out their new robes. All four of them exchanged highly anxious looks as students began to pour out onto the platform. The four boys grabbed their owls and trolleys and make their way off of the train.

Once they got onto the platform a man was calling the first year students to him. He was a short, friendly-looking man whose smile showed that he was missing most of his teeth.

"First years!" the man was bellowing out to the crowd. Alastor and his friends headed towards him.

"Hello there," he smiled at them, looking at each boy individually. When he glanced at Alastor he eagerly extended his hand. Alastor shook it although he was thoroughly confused.

"My name is Ogg," the man said. Alastor and Alleister exchanged a look; the name Ogg sounded very peculiar. "I know what you're thinking. What kind of a name is Ogg, right? Well, it's short for Oggenduch."

All four boys grimaced and the gamekeeper laughed.

"Ogg doesn't sound so bad now, does it?" Ogg asked with a smirk. All of the boys, as well as a few other first years gathered around them, nodded vigorously. "Well, come on then, we should be off." With that, Ogg led the first years off of the platform and downhill.

They arrived at a giant lake that had many boats floating near the grass they stood upon. "Everyone hop into a boat," Ogg instructed. "No more than five to a boat, or you'll end up meeting the Giant Squid!"

There were many nervous murmurs. Alastor chuckled to himself and heard Alleister do the same beside him. Alastor was one of the first students to approach the boats and hauled himself into one. Arnold joined him quickly, and Alastor figured he was anxious to get his first glimpse of Hogwarts. As Alastor could have guessed, Alleister beckoned Alphard to board the wooden boat next, and he followed.

They were off, finally about to arrive at Hogwarts. Alastor couldn't wait to see the castle at last. For the first time since August sixth, Alastor felt a chance at happiness.


	6. Sorting Hat Success

**A/N: Sorry that this chapter was a bit late. I kept editing it because I couldn't get it just right. I think I like the way that it came out, though. Let me know what you think!**

**It has come to my attention that there is a lot of debate on the exact year that Tom Riddle was born. I always thought that he was born in 1929 thus my story has him in his sixth year in 1944. I didn't know that it is more widely accepted that he was born in 1926, making my story three years off. I'm not going to change it, though, because I like having all of these major Riddle-related events take place in this year. Plus, Dumbledore's defeat of Grindelwald is in 1945, and I knew going into this story that I definitely wanted to feature that in a later chapter. I'm also assuming that Riddle did not open the Chamber of Secrets during his final year at Hogwarts, since he was worried about returning to the Muggle orphanage if the school was shut down. So if things seem a little jumbled up, I apologize.**

**Thanks, as always, to everyone that's been reading and reviewing. As a reminder, I do not own Harry Potter, nor do I own any of the characters or places (save for my OCs). I know that may come as a shock to most of you, but it's true. I own none of it. Onward!**

Chapter Two: Sorting Hat Success  
><em>September 1st, 1944<br>POV: Alleister Anxium_

Gasps were heard all around as the first years caught sight of the gigantic castle in front of them. Alleister had always been satisfied with Anxium Manor, yet his companions looked as if Hogwarts would become their new home. Alleister saw a small portion of the Quidditch pitch from the side of the castle. The moonlight reflected off of one of the silver towers even from such a distance. He grinned.

When they arrived at the other side of the lake Ogg was the first one out of his boat. He helped a few students out of their boats while Arnold and Alphard climbed out of theirs. Alastor followed them, as Alleister wanted to be polite to his new friend and let him exit first. Finally, Alleister stepped out of the boat as he tried to hide his anxiety. He did not see that his foot was no longer planted on the grass, and the boy slipped. He flew forward, falling right into the Black Lake.

Luckily the water that the boats had stopped in was not that deep, although it was just deep enough to catch him and render his fall painless. Alastor extended his hand and helped pull him out of the water. Alleister was horrified at the thought of having to walk through the Great Hall and be sorted while dripping wet. He could hear his new classmates sniggering, with the exception of his three new friends.

"Don't worry, mate," Alphard said as he withdrew his wand and pointed it at Alleister.

"Do you know what you're doing?" Alastor, wide-eyed, asked him. He didn't seem to like the idea of a first year testing spells out on his friend.

"Of course I do," Alphard replied with confidence. "My family's been teaching me spells since I knew how to talk. It'll be nice to try one out."

Alastor did not look convinced yet he stayed silent as Alphard held his wand out to the dripping boy's torso. "_Calorus maxima_," he muttered.

Alleister closed his eyes, savoring the sudden warmth of the spell. He felt his clothes and was not surprised to find that they were dry again.

"Brilliant!" Alleister beamed at Alphard.

"That was a good warming charm there, lad," Ogg commented from behind them. All four boys whirled around, not knowing they'd had an audience.

The groundskeeper made conversation with the boys during their trek from the lake to the castle. Alleister found himself running to keep up with the older man's strides.

"I don't need to ask for your name," Ogg said to Alastor, whose eyes narrowed. "You're Alastor Moody, son of Auror Victor Moody. You look just like him. He was a great man, your father. A true Gryffindor as well."

"I'll be in Gryffindor, too," Alastor replied confidently. "I want to be an Auror just like him."

Ogg patted the boy on the shoulder in mid-stride. "I'm sure you will, son."

Alleister glanced at his new friend. He admired his determination and confidence. Alleister himself did not think he would be able to join Alastor in Gryffindor. He was good at flying, but that seemed to be all. Off the field, Alleister was clumsy and certainly not that brave. Oh, and there was the way others constantly stared at him whenever he smiled. _That_ was beginning to bother him.

He turned back to the conversation to hear the other boys introducing themselves to Ogg.

"I'm Arnold Gisned," Arnold's voice sounded from the left.

"Never heard of that name, Gisned," Ogg said.

"I'm Muggle-born," Arnold explained. Alleister saw him share a smile with Alphard.

"Good for you, m'boy!" Ogg said. He, like Alleister, seemed to have noted the hint of pride Arnold had used. He was glad that this boy was brave; his mother had told him how the Slytherins have been bullying Muggle-borns since she was in school.

"My name is Alphard Black," Alphard said quietly when Ogg looked at him.

"Ah, another Black," Ogg said a bit coldly. Alphard's face fell. Ogg then looked at Arnold, then back at Alphard. "You seem a bit different from the rest of 'em, lad. I couldn't picture Cygnus Black chumming with a Muggle-born!"

Alleister was shocked at the very blunt way Ogg had said this. Alphard was shaking his head. "There's nothing wrong with Muggle-borns. I like Arnold's parents more than my own. I don't belong with them..." Alphard trailed off, looking up at Ogg.

"Well done, Alphard," Ogg congratulated him. "I'm glad to see that before my retirement I got to meet a Black with some sense!"

"What d'you mean by that, sir?" Alleister asked out of curiosity.

"I'm retiring next year," Ogg explained. "I'm going to miss Hogwarts, though. I've been working here since I was twenty-three! I feel as if this castle is my home. But, alas, it is time for me to move on."

Alleister looked up and caught Ogg's goofy grin. Alleister himself began to smile, but quickly groaned when the groundskeeper's jaw dropped. "Who might you be, sonny? That's quite a grin you've got there. Part-Veela, I'm guessing?"

The other three boys burst out laughing as they marched up the castle's stone steps with Ogg. Why did it have to be so incredibly obvious that he'd inherited a strangely alluring smile? Alleister was red as a tomato by that point and he secretly vowed to stop smiling at strangers.

"I'm Alleister Anxium," he said finally over his friends' laughter. "My great-grandmother was a Veela. It only shows when I smile." His cheeks were still hot from embarrassment.

By the time their laughter and jesting comments were finished they had reached the entrance to Hogwarts castle. The huge wooden doors seemed to swing open on their own as Ogg led them all inside. Alleister, along with almost everyone else, gasped upon seeing the beautiful Entrance Hall. It was an enormous room equipped with portraits and tapestries framed in gold and chandeliers floating atop by the ceiling. Alleister hurried after his new classmates as they veered off to the right, eventually stopping at another pair of large wooden doors.

Ogg cleared his throat, beckoning the first years to give him their attention. Most did so, but some were still glancing around and murmuring to those near him. Alleister felt his palms becoming sweaty as he watched the gamekeeper.

"I'll be back in a moment," Ogg told them as he moved to open the doors for himself. "When I return, you will be led inside the Great Hall, where you will be sorted into your new houses. If you didn't already know, the four houses are: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin." Alleister saw that to his left a very pretty brunette girl was nudging the girl next to her, smirking.

"Your house will serve as your family while you attend Hogwarts," Ogg explained. "When you do well, you earn points for your house. If you break any rules you will lose house points. At the end of the school year, the house with the most points wins the House Cup." Ogg paused to catch his breath. "Simple enough, right? Now, I'll be right back. Be good, all of you."

With that, he turned and disappeared behind the doors to the Great Hall. Chatter erupted immediately upon Ogg's departure, but Alleister paid no attention. He was too nervous even to speak.

Alleister knew he didn't have what it took to become a Gryffindor. He wasn't brave like Alastor and Arnold, but he wanted to be in the same house as at least one of his new friends. He supposed he might have a chance at getting into Slytherin with Alphard. His father had been a Slytherin, so perhaps that would help him. Alleister decided he was going to hope for Slytherin.

Just as he was about to catch up on what his friends had been talking about, Ogg returned for them. The doors opened and the group entered the Great Hall. Alastor couldn't help but mutter a small "wow" as he took a look at the ceiling that was famous for looking like the outside sky. Candles also floated from the ceiling. Alleister noted the four long tables they were walking past that the returning students were watching them from.

Finally, the first years reached the front of the Great Hall. An older man stood at a winged pedestal, and behind him was a large table that seated the Hogwarts staff. Alleister assumed that the man at the pedestal was Headmaster Armando Dippet; he had signed Alleister's acceptance letter. He caught Arnold glancing up at a man towards the middle of the staff table with an auburn beard and hair. The man winked at Arnold with sparkling blue eyes.

"Who's that?" Alleister asked him.

"That's Professor Dumbledore," Arnold said. Alleister nodded, recognizing the name. "He said he's the Transfiguration teacher. He's the one who came to my house and told me I was a wizard." Arnold smiled fondly at the memory.

"Oh," Alleister said, not having anything else to add to that. He could only imagine how happy Arnold must have been. Alleister found himself wishing he'd had a profound moment in his life like Arnold had.

Headmaster Dippet peered down at the first years with a pair of curious hazel eyes. Alleister liked that the Headmaster seemed to be full of life. Professor Dumbledore stood and merely raised a hand, yet it caused the Great Hall to fall silent almost immediately. Alleister heard a few students still talking defiantly from his far right. He supposed that was the Slytherin table, although he did not turn to look. He knew from his father that many Slytherins disliked Albus Dumbledore.

"When I call your name," Headmaster Dippet said in a high voice while gesturing to a piece of parchment that had just appeared before him, "you will place the Sorting Hat upon your head. It will declare which house you will be sorted in. Once you are sorted you may join your house table for the feast."

Headmaster Dippet walked toward the stool that had also just appeared in front of them. There was a tattered old hat on top of the stool. The Headmaster looked down at the parchment and Alleister gulped, hoping the list was not alphabetized.

"Anxium, Alleister!" Headmaster Dippet called.

Alleister moved carefully towards the stool. He almost tripped at one point, but thankfully he managed to steady himself as he sat down on the stool. He placed the hat upon his head and shut his eyes.

"Ah, an Anxium!" the Sorting Hat whispered. "A strong family indeed!"

"I want to be in Slytherin," Alleister whispered, feeling rather silly. He also thought the words inside of his head, hoping the hat would heed his request. "I want to be with my friend-"

"No, no," the Sorting Hat interrupted. "That will not do. You do not belong in Slytherin, Alleister Anxium. Placing you in Slytherin would be a grave mistake. You are fiercely loyal, that is quite obvious. So, perhaps Hufflepuff? No, wait just one moment! There is something else inside of you; there is plenty of courage. I believe that you belong in Gryffindor."

"I'm not brave," Alleister whispered, although his lips were already curling into a relieved smile.

"You have strength within you," the hat insisted. "That is why I choose GRYFFINDOR!"

A table to Alleister's new left erupted in cheers and wolf-whistles. Alleister pulled the hat off and placed it back on the stool. He turned toward the applauding Gryffindor table and rushed over to join his new housemates. He sat down next to a clapping blond boy that shook his hand almost immediately, congratulating him on making Gryffindor. Alleister felt his nerves subsiding, and he was happy to find that he was able to breathe once more without feeling as if there was a large weight on his chest. He had done it, he had become a lion!

As Alleister turned his attention toward the sorting once more, he felt oddly at ease. He had never expected to be sitting among the Gryffindors. For a rare moment he felt proud of himself. Just this once he allowed himself to grin wildly without caring who stared.

* * *

><p><em>September 1st, 1944<em>  
><em>POV: Alphard Black<em>

Alphard wanted to clap for Alleister like everyone else had. He found himself unable to move. He knew his name was close to being called, if not next. He glanced over at the Slytherin table, which he had found quite easily due to Cygnus and Orion's familiar figures perched at the end of the table. Alphard's brother and cousin were currently glaring at the Gryffindor table and whispering to each other. Alphard swallowed hard.

He sighed in relief as "Benson, Myrtle," a squat girl with large, round glasses and pigtails, was promptly placed in Ravenclaw. Alphard ran a hand through his already messy hair as he tried to hide his terror.

"Black, Alphard!" was called and Alphard stepped forward immediately. He slowly strode up to the stool, trying to keep the calm and collected Black demeanor even as he fought the urge to turn and run from the room.

Alphard lifted up the hat and sat down, holding his head in the way his mother had always trained him to and keeping his face emotionless. Before he placed the hat on his head he saw Cygnus, sitting between Orion and Abraxas Malfoy, watching him with his cold eyes narrowed. Then the hat slipped over his eyes. Alphard held his breath.

"Another Black, eh?" Alphard heard the hat say to him. "You seem to be terrified of your family's disapproval. Am I right?"

Alphard nodded very slightly, feeling somewhat strange to be responding to a hat. He'd seen Alleister whispering to the Sorting Hat during his sorting and had found it strange at the time. The hat continued on. "Fear not, Alphard, for I know where you belong. I will not cause you anguish over your family's shame, for I choose SLYTHERIN!"

Alphard's lips curled quickly and he yanked the hat off of his head. He placed it back on the stool and made his way through the crowd of first years to the table of cheering Slytherins. He sat down next to a girl he did not recognize and immediately looked for Cygnus again. Alphard was overjoyed to see Cygnus and his cronies clapping hard for him. Cygnus gave his brother a subtle nod in his direction. Alphard could not help but grin. He didn't necessarily agree with everything his family said and did, but the Sorting Hat had said he belonged in Slytherin. He _belonged_ with his family and Alphard was going to have to learn to accept that.

Alphard's attention was drawn to the front once more when Headmaster Dippet bellowed "Black, Violette!"

The Great Hall had fallen silent. Alphard shot a curious glance at Cygnus and Orion. Orion seemed to recognize her, as he was glaring at the girl that had stepped forward to be sorted. Alphard was very confused; he knew there was no Violette in his family. Walburga, Cygnus and Alphard had been preached to thousands of times by their parents about their various family members' histories. Alphard could recite the names from the Black family tapestry in his sleep and so could his brother and sister. He couldn't understand where another Black could have come from.

Then, it hit him. He remembered Walburga bringing up to Father how Uncle Arcturus had an illegitimate child with a "poor tramp," as Walburga had called her. Yet why would the girl want to keep the Black name?

Alphard studied the girl that had now sat down upon the stool and placed the Sorting Hat on her head. Her school robes were shabby and had holes in a few places. The girl did resemble Uncle Arcturus, Alphard thought to himself. Her thin face, slightly upturned nose and dark burnet hair were exactly like Arcturus Black's. In fact, she looked rather to similar to Orion, as they had the same facial features. Alphard only had to take one more glance at Orion Black to feel sorry for Violette. He looked livid.

* * *

><p><em>September 1st, 1944<em>  
><em>POV: Violette Black<em>

Violette had frozen when she'd heard her name called. The shocked silence had been bad enough, and she tried as hard as she could to block out the whispering as she made her way to the Sorting Hat. She faced the crowd and quickly dropped the hat onto her head, covering her eyes.

"Hm, one more Black?" the Sorting Hat questioned. "Oho, I see, you are not like the rest of them. You are kind, too, oh yes! What do you want me to do for you?"

"I want to show them," she whispered to the hat. "I want to show them that I'm just as good as they are. I don't care what it takes."

"I see," the hat said. It took a moment to analyze what she had said. "In that case, you will get your chance in SLYTHERIN!"

Violette paid no mind to the fact that not many Slytherins were clapping for her. She seemed to float over to the Slytherin table, sitting down next to fellow first year Alphard Black. Alphard smiled warmly at his cousin, which shocked Violette a bit. She supposed there was a chance that this one was different from his siblings and cousins, for Naptista had spent many hours warning her daughter of how cruel the Blacks could be. Violette returned Alphard's smile, happy to know that one of the Blacks had already accepted her.

"That was awful," she said honestly as "Bones, Henry" was placed in Gryffindor.

"Tell me about it," Alphard replied, rolling his eyes. "I was so nervous I wanted to run for it!"

Violette giggled. "At least they _want_ you in Slytherin. I reckon I'm going to have a hard time fitting in." She looked down at the table glumly.

"It's all right," said Alphard. "I'm different too."

"I can already tell," Violette remarked. "You don't look like you want to rip my head off just for existing."

Alphard barked out a laugh. "That's not the only way that I'm different."

Violette raised an eyebrow. "What d'you mean by that?"

"Want to know a secret?" Alphard asked her. "You can't tell anyone, of course." Alphard looked excited at just the thought of revealing whatever secret he was keeping.

"I won't tell," promised Violette. Her amber eyes were lit with curiosity; what secret could a wealthy Black child possibly be keeping? "After all, we _are_ family," she added with a smirk.

Alphard returned the smile and nodded. "Right. Well, my best mate is up there still, waiting to be sorted. He's a Muggle-born."

Violette beamed at her cousin. At least one of the Blacks had some sanity, Violette thought to herself. She was about to reply but was interrupted when "Diggory, Cadmus" was Sorted into Hufflepuff and a roar of applause echoed throughout the Great Hall.

"What's his name?" Violette whispered to Alphard as "Edgecombe, Edward" joined the Ravenclaw table.

"Arnold Gisned," Alphard whispered back. "We live near each other in London. My family doesn't know. I'm not ready to be disowned."

Violette studied the boy as he brushed another strand of his untidy hair out of his eyes. His eyes themselves had a look of sadness in them even when he was smiling. Violette found herself wondering what kind of a home life the youngest Black boy had. Did his parents even love him?

Violette was enjoying Alphard's company but she knew better than to think it would last. Alphard was probably going to be whisked away by the rest of his family, along with other prominent pure-bloods, after the feast.

After "Fawcett, Lydia" was Sorted into Gryffindor, Alphard became more restless. Violette saw that he had started drumming his fingers on the table a bit loudly.

"Sorry," he whispered to her just as "Flint, Anna" was called. "I know that a Mud-, er, Muggle-born has a low chance of making Slytherin, but I still hope."

"SLYTHERIN!" the hat called. Anna Flint danced over to the Slytherin table and sat down across from Alphard. She smiled at her fellow first years.

"Hello," Anna said in a strong voice. "My name is Anna Flint."

Alphard nodded. "I'm Alphard Black. This," he pointed to Violette, "is my cousin Violette Black."

As Violette could have foreseen, Anna's eyes narrowed in scrutiny as she looked at Violette. She could tell that this girl was from a prominent pure-blood family that knew of the Blacks and, consequently, Arcturus's third child. Violette predicted that the majority of the Slytherins were going to react to her in the same way that Anna Flint did. She sighed.

"Pleased to meet you," Anna said while facing Alphard.

Violette, frustrated, turned back to watch the sorting as Headmaster Dippet yelled out "Gisned, Arnold!"

Alphard whirled around in his seat, ignoring the strange look Anna had given him. Violette noticed that his fingers were crossed and she promptly crossed hers as well. Alphard saw this and grinned at his cousin.

A scrawny boy with long, chestnut hair that ran almost to his shoulders made his way up to the Sorting Hat. He looked over at the Slytherin table, watching a group of older Slytherin boys at the end of their table that weren't paying attention to the sorting at all. His eyes were a startling shade of electric blue and they were only magnified by his horn rimmed glasses. Alphard soon caught Arnold Gisned's eye and the two exchanged a grin before Arnold slipped the hat onto his head.

It was silent for a few moments while the hat made its decision. Arnold was muttering something under his breath. Finally, Arnold stopped muttering and grinned as the hat yelled "GRYFFINDOR!"

Violette turned to Alphard, who had slumped into his seat. He ran a hand through his hair and then turned to the Gryffindor table longingly. Violette did so as well, watching as Arnold sat down next to another first year that he seemed to know. She remembered him from the sorting, for he was the first one to be sorted: Alleister Anxium. Arnold whispered something to Alleister, who smiled.

Violette found herself shamelessly gazing at Alleister Anxium's lips, his teeth, his dimples; his smile made her heart beat faster and her body feel warm. She couldn't understand what was making her feel that way just from watching the boy smile. Violette supposed she could ask Eileen once her friend joined her at the Slytherin table. Eileen seemed to know everything, not to mention that she was always reading romance novels, both wizarding and Muggle.

Alleister Anxium eventually noticed her staring, and he immediately rolled his eyes and frowned. Violette quickly turned back to the Slytherin table, humiliated. What had come over her just then? Why had she just stared at that boy? He had rolled his eyes, he had _noticed_, and Violette knew by her hot cheeks that her entire face was red.

Beside her, Alphard was giggling. Anna was watching the two of them with the same narrowed eyes. After "Hornby, Olive" was sorted into Ravenclaw, Alphard earned himself an elbow in the ribs from Violette. Unfortunately for the young girl, this only made Alphard laugh even harder. Soon Violette had begun to laugh herself.

"I've never heard of the name Gisned," Anna interjected coldly to end the jovial moment. "I haven't heard of Benson or Hornby either. Can you believe it, three Mudbloods admitted already? That's not even counting the half-bloods! My father will be disappointed in Headmaster Dippet."

Violette grew angrier with each word that the Flint girl said. She was about to snap back at her when she felt a sharp pain in her shin. Alphard had kicked her and was shaking his head violently now that Violette was looking at him.

"You're absolutely right," said Alphard to Anna. He was sneering, an expression that looked very unnatural on him. "This school is going to go to the dogs if they just let _anyone_ in!"

Violette caught on. "What a shame," she said, "that one of the finest schools of magic is wasting spots on those that don't deserve it." Her snide insult to Anna was well hidden, but Alphard understood and sniggered.

Anna looked at Violette, her brown eyes wider for a change. "Well said, Violette," Anna said with an approving nod. "You're absolutely right."

Alphard, Violette and Anna returned their attention to the sorting. Violette glanced back at Alphard at one point to see that his eyes looked tortured once more. She turned back quickly; Violette had learned her lesson about staring at others.

They watched their fellow first years get sorted. They welcomed the new Slytherins that joined their ranks. Violette, of course, was waiting for Eileen to make Slytherin as well. In fact, she'd even saved her best friend a seat on her right.

After awhile, Violette's eyes glazed over. She was quite tired from all the excitement of the first day of Hogwarts. Alphard nudged her when "Moody, Alastor" was called up.

"I met him on the train," Alphard whispered to Violette. "He's the son of Auror Victor Moody. He wants to be just like his dad – an Auror and a Gryffindor."

"Let's see if he gets his wish," Violette said as they both watched Alastor don the hat.

After not even three seconds of being on Alastor's head, the Sorting Hat cried out "GRYFFINDOR!" Alphard looked down again; Violette supposed he was hoping, in a way, that one of his friends from the train would be in Slytherin. The boy named Alastor Moody joined Arnold Gisned and Alleister Anxium at the Gryffindor table. Violette looked away quickly, hoping the Anxium boy didn't notice her this time.

After "Patil, Anish" was placed in Hufflepuff, Violette knew Eileen's moment was arriving at last. She was practically bouncing in her seat with excitement as she heard the Headmaster say "Prince, Eileen!"

Eileen calmly approached the stool and placed the hat on her head. Before anyone even had a chance to blink, the hat had yelled "SLYTHERIN!" Violette watched her friend head to the Slytherin table with mild envy. She wished her sorting had been that short.

Eileen took the seat that Violette had saved her, still beaming. "That was quick!" Violette remarked. "Not even the Moody boy was quicker than you!"

"It's like I said, Vi," Eileen said. "I was born to be in Slytherin."

"Good to hear," a blonde girl across from Eileen complimented. She was one of the first years that had joined the table while she and Alphard were talking. "I'm Irina Malfoy."

Alphard turned to the girls and studied Irina carefully. "You're Abraxas's sister?"

"Unfortunately," Irina replied as she shot a glare towards the end of the table.

"But the Malfoys have been to my house loads of times," Alphard said suspiciously. "I've never seen you with them."

"I did go to your house once," said Irina. "When we were five years old, Abraxas and Cygnus locked me in your House-elf's cupboard. My parents never made me go again."

"Oh," Alphard said. "Cygnus has locked me in there loads of times. After the third time, Father told me I'd need to use my magic to get myself out."

The girls around him gasped, and Alphard smirked. "Don't worry," he assured them. "I was so scared of starving to death that the door actually _melted_. It was the first time I used magic."

Violette laughed along with the others at Alphard's tale, although she did have to admit that his father sounded a bit cruel. Irina nodded and glanced at the other girls, evidently trying to recognize them from some pure-blood social gathering.

"I'm Violette Black," Violette said, bracing herself for the reaction.

Surprisingly, Irina did not react like Anna had. Instead she smiled, her pale grey eyes flashing with delight. "I've heard of you," she said. "You're the Gaunt woman's daughter."

"That'd be me," Violette replied glumly.

"I didn't mean any offense," Irina said. "I think your mum is very brave for raising you on her own."

Violette smiled. "My mum is definitely one of a kind," she said to Irina.

The blonde girl then turned to Eileen who spoke up at once. "I'm Eileen Prince."

Irina and Alphard both smiled. "I've heard of the Prince family," Alphard said. "I thought they'd all died out years ago."

"Well here I am, perfectly alive," Eileen said. The new Slytherins all laughed at this.

The sorting ended at the same time their laughter had died down. Headmaster Dippet cleared his throat and vanished the parchment with a simple wave of his wand. Nearly every student became silent; the only exceptions being some of the older Slytherins.

"May I extend my best wishes to our new first years," Headmaster Dippet said. "Good luck in all your endeavors!"

There was a burst of applause from all tables in the Great Hall. Once the cheering had ceased, the Headmaster continued. "Before we eat, I have a few announcements to make."

"First, it is my great pleasure to inform you all that the evening curfew has been extended to eight o'clock." Headmaster Dippet paused, smiling, as the Great Hall erupted in applause once more. "However, any student caught out of bed after the curfew has been enforced will not only be given a detention, but an owl will be sent to the student's parents informing them of the infraction."

Headmaster Dippet ignored the groans from several students and continued. "Secondly, our caretaker Mr. Pringle has asked me to remind all of you that no magic is to be used in the corridors. May I also remind each and every one of you that magic should _never_ be used towards another student, no matter where you are."

"Lastly, as most of you are aware, the Forbidden Forest is named so for a reason. There is no excuse for anyone to enter the forest."

Headmaster Dippet then waved his wand, causing each table in the Great Hall to become filled with all kinds of food. Violette's eyes widened at the amount of food in front of her and she saw Eileen looked the same way. "Now, let us enjoy the feast!" Headmaster Dippet said, but his voice was barely heard over the noise of silverware and chatter.

Violette started to load her plate with potatoes, mixed vegetables, shepherd's pie and a few slices of steak. She filled her goblet with the pitcher of pumpkin juice and began to tuck in eagerly. She did not stop eating until she had cleaned her plate, sighing in happiness. She looked up from her now-empty plate to see her new classmates staring at her. Anna was smirking.

"I take it you didn't eat on the way here?" Alphard asked. Violette could see in his hazel eyes that he was asking out of genuine concern.

"No," she admitted. "The food here is so good, and, er, well…" she paused, unsure of how to explain that she did not come from money like Alphard did. "My mum and I never get food like this." Violette thought of Naptista and felt terrible for leaving her mother alone at home.

Alphard and Irina nodded sympathetically. Neither one had ever experienced the hardships that Violette had, but she appreciated that they were trying to understand. Eileen was busy tucking into her own meal, although she had not stuffed herself fast enough to attract attention.

Dessert appeared shortly after and Violette could not believe her eyes. Every dessert she could have thought of was suddenly right in front of her. She was still full from dinner, so she settled for a piece of lemon meringue pie and a treacle tart. This time she made sure she ate slowly, but she still enjoyed every last bite. The welcome feast at Hogwarts had now become the best meal Violette ever had.

Once dinner had ended, and the Headmaster had said goodnight to the students, Violette and her new friends rose from their seats.

"Let's follow Tom," Irina said, pointing at a brunet boy with a silver Prefect badge. "I don't want to run into my brother."

Irina Malfoy led the way as Alphard, Eileen, Anna and Violette followed her to the Entrance Hall. The Prefect named Tom was guiding a few boys towards a corridor off to the side. Violette's group quickly caught up to them just as they descended down the corridor and into the dungeons.

"He's so handsome," Anna sighed from Violette's right. She looked at Anna and was about to ask which boy she was talking about. She followed the girl's dreamy gaze and saw she was staring at Tom the Prefect.

"Er, who exactly is he?" Violette asked quietly.

Anna did not seem shocked that Violette didn't know who Tom was. "That's Tom Riddle," Anna whispered to her. "My brother Demitri's girlfriend is a sixth year, like Tom. She reckons the whole school must fancy him by now. Even the teachers get nervous talking to him! Demitri's been trying to get him on the Slytherin Quidditch team for years now, but Tom says he isn't interested in Quidditch. He keeps to himself, he does."

"Oh," Violette said in response.

"That's not all," Anna whispered as they rounded another corridor with an iron gate at the end. "A few years ago there was a rumor going around that Tom Riddle grew up in a Muggle orphanage," Anna said. "He's a half-blood, you see, and he doesn't like to talk about his father. Demitri reckons it's true, but no one really knows for sure. Could you imagine, growing up in a filthy Muggle orphanage?"

"That's horrible," Violette replied as they approached the iron gate. She could tell that Anna Flint had the potential to be the gossip queen of their year. Violette made a mental note to warn Eileen and Irina not to spill any secrets around her.

Tom came to a halt right before the gate and turned to face the group of first years. Violette and Eileen gasped audibly as they gazed at the gorgeous boy in front of them. Violette couldn't help but notice that Tom's eyes were just as amber as hers. His face was pale, but it looked good with his dark hair and pointed features. Anna had been right about one thing; Tom Riddle definitely was handsome.

"This is the door to the Slytherin common room," Tom explained. "The current password is 'polyjuice.' The password changes every fortnight, so make sure to keep track of them. Boys, your dormitory is upstairs and all the way down on your right. Girls, your dormitory is up the left-hand staircase."

There were numerous murmurs from the first years. Violette saw one smaller boy taking notes on a bit of parchment and giggled.

"Polyjuice," Tom said in his smooth voice. The iron gate slowly opened, groaning as it did so. The Slytherins filed in quickly, eager to see the common room for the first time.

There were many gasps and whispers when they entered the Slytherin common room. The walls were stone and grey, but the carpet and armchairs were a rich emerald color. Violette was about to examine more of the large room when three older boys stepped in front of her.

Violette recognized Orion Black immediately by his features that mirrored her own. They had the same nose, the same shape of their eyes and mouth, and they even shared the same cheek bones. Orion, however, was glaring down at Violette with steel grey eyes that intimidated her.

The boy standing in between the other two had sandy brown hair and the same cold, grey eyes. He had his head held high and his chest puffed out proudly. The boy on his other side had pale blond hair that looked almost white in the dim light of the common room. His eyes were also grey, although they were paler than Orion's. Due to the resemblance, Violette guessed that he was Irina's brother, Abraxas Malfoy. That meant the boy with the sandy hair was Cygnus Black. All three boys looked extremely menacing, so Violette attempted to move out of their way as quickly as possible. However, they stepped in front of her again.

"What's your hurry, sis?" Orion barked. Cygnus and Abraxas sniggered.

"Shove off, Orion," Alphard growled from beside Violette. She shot him a grateful smile. "Violette is all right, so just leave her alone."

"Alphard," Cygnus drawled without bothering to hide the clear disgust in his voice. "Do you know who this girl is? She's the daughter of that Gaunt tramp. Uncle Arcturus almost abandoned Orion and Lucretia for her! Why would you want to be friends with scum like that?"

Violette's eyes filled with tears. This was not how she had imagined her first night at Hogwarts going. She noticed that many of the Slytherins were now watching the scene. Some were laughing at her while others were shooting her looks of sympathy. Eileen grabbed her hand and squeezed, attempting to pull her away from Cygnus and his cronies.

"Enough," hissed a voice that was familiar to Violette, though she couldn't place it.

Everyone, including Violette, looked around for the speaker and found Tom Riddle making his way through the crowd. He strode in front of Violette without stopping, and Violette noticed for the first time that he looked livid. With Tom now in front of her, she was unable to see Cygnus any longer. She was too shocked to say or do anything. Why was Tom Riddle of all people defending her?

"Violette's grandfather murdered my Muggle family this summer," Tom said loudly. Violette felt her stomach drop to her knees. She wished she knew how to apparate. Tom wasn't defending her; he was siding with Cygnus!

"My Muggle father deserved what he got," Tom said, causing Violette to glance up in shock.

Tom turned toward the three boys, but only Cygnus was brave enough to look him in the eye. They seemed to be having a stare-down, and eventually Tom looked away. "You will leave her alone," he warned in a dangerous tone.

Violette saw Orion and Abraxas nodding vigorously. Were they afraid of Tom Riddle? Furthermore, how did Tom know about Morfin Gaunt? In Professor Dumbledore's letter, he had informed Naptista that her father's crimes would not be published in the _Daily Prophet._ Violette looked at Eileen, then at Alphard, but saw they were both wearing identical looks of confusion.

"We will," Cygnus said finally. Orion and Abraxas nodded in agreement. With one last scathing look at her, Orion followed Cygnus and Abraxas upstairs.

Tom did not move, nor did he turn to look at Violette. She was very grateful to him for saving her from a disastrous start to her year at Hogwarts, but she couldn't understand why he had done it in the first place. She was also a bit disturbed at how he had acted like Morfin Gaunt had done him a favor by killing his father and grandparents. Violette felt as if she were going to be sick; she hadn't known that the Muggles Morfin had murdered were the relatives of someone who would become her classmate.

"Violette," Tom said suddenly, causing her to jump. He chuckled as her cheeks flushed crimson. "May I have a word with you in private?"

"Er," Violette began, "of course."

She followed Tom as she walked towards a more private corner by the fireplace in the common room. She hoped that Tom was going to answer her questions.

"You're wondering why I stood up for you," Tom surmised. Violette looked up and saw his eyes boring into her own. She dropped her gaze quickly, embarrassed once again. "I won't disappoint you by denying you an answer, Violette."

"You see," Tom continued, "I don't think that a pure-blood like yourself should be pushed around before term even starts. You have not been given a chance to prove yourself." He paused, and Violette saw he was playing with a golden ring on his middle finger.

"Do you know my family, Tom?" Violette asked before she could stop herself.

Tom's expression was unreadable. "I've heard of them," he said finally.

"Well, er, thank you," Violette said as she slowly backed away. While she was grateful that he had saved her from Cygnus and the others, being alone with Tom was a bit intimidating. It was making Violette quite uncomfortable. When Tom did not protest her departure she quickly rejoined Eileen and Alphard, who had been waiting for her.

"What was that about?" Eileen asked her.

"He wanted to tell me why he stood up for me," Violette summarized. "He said he didn't want me to be picked on before I've had a chance to prove myself."

Eileen beamed. "That was nice of him," she remarked.

"I can't believe someone actually stood up to Cygnus," Alphard said. "I've never seen anyone talk to him like that. Did you see how scared Orion and Abraxas were?"

Violette and Eileen giggled. "He looked like he was about to wet himself!" Violette exclaimed to more laughter from her new friends.

Alphard yawned. "I'm going to go to bed," he told them. "I reckon it's time I meet my new dorm-mates. G'night."

The two girls said goodnight to Alphard before heading up the staircase to the girls' dormitories. They entered their dormitory to find Anna Flint and Irina Malfoy waiting up for them.

"I can't believe Tom Riddle stood up for you like that!" Anna exclaimed. "You _have_ to tell us everything he said; we left when he asked to talk to you in private."

Irina rolled her eyes at her companion, sitting crossed-legged on the end of her bed. "She doesn't have to tell us if she doesn't want to, Anna," she said wearily.

Violette shot her a grateful smirk before glancing at her new bed. Emerald trimmed robes had been laid out on top of her trunk beside her bed. She grinned at the sight of the open owl cage perched on the windowsill; the House-elves must have let Fretta, her new owl, out into the night to hunt. She sat on her new bed, glancing at the window and noticing it showed them the night sky outside as if they were high above the grounds.

"I thought the Slytherin dorms were under the lake?" Violette asked. One look at Eileen told her that her best friend had been wondering the very same thing.

"It is," Anna confirmed. She looked a bit disappointed that Violette had dodged the subject of Tom Riddle. "The windows are bewitched to look like it does outside."

"Really?" Eileen asked, sharing a bewildered look with Violette. They thought they'd known everything to expect at Hogwarts; Violette couldn't believe they'd missed this throughout their readings of _Hogwarts, A History_. "So, if it were raining outside…"

"Our windows would show it raining outside," Irina finished with a smirk.

"Brilliant!" Violette cried as she stared out the window in awe.

"Well, if that's all," Anna shot a pointed look at Violette before pulling up the covers of her own bed. "I'm going to get some rest. Good night." She slid under the emerald sheets of her bed.

Irina sighed, looking rather cross with the other girl. "We're not going to gossip about Riddle just because you're pretending to sleep, Anna."

Anna huffed and the three other girls giggled furiously. Soon, though, they began to yawn and crawl under their own covers. It had been a long day for all of them and they could all do with some rest.

Once the girls had said goodnight and turned out the lights, Violette turned over to continue staring out the closest window. Whatever his reason was, she was grateful to Tom Riddle for stopping the sixth years from making her first night at Hogwarts a miserable one. She knew she would have to deal with Orion Black eventually, but for tonight she was at peace. Once she had proven herself, like Tom had pointed out, they would no longer laugh at her. Violette closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, dreaming of the day when the Blacks would accept her.


	7. Life of a Lion

**A/N: Sorry for the ridiculously long time it took to update. Things were pretty hectic and I felt like I couldn't get this chapter quite right. I hope that there are still a few readers interested in reading this story, for there is definitely a long way to go on this journey. After the next few chapters, the rest of the story will have chapters that are double or triple the length of these. Hopefully this chapter is all right, since the next chapter is a continuation and will be up within the next few days. Enjoy, and thank you for reading / reviewing / alerting / etc!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the wizarding world, except for my OCs.**

Chapter Three: Life of a Lion

_September 2nd, 1944_  
><em>POV: Arnold Gisned<em>

One thing that Arnold Gisned always disliked was getting out of bed in the morning. He tried as hard as he could to break the habit of retreating into his warm blankets each sunup, yet lie-ins quickly became routine for him. Therefore it surprised Arnold very much when he was the first to wake in his dormitory in Gryffindor Tower.

He grabbed his glasses from the nightstand next to his bed and sat up slowly. The sun was peering in from the windows that lined the dormitory walls. Arnold could hear Henry Bones snoring on his right and see Alleister Anxium sprawled out on his bed to the left. Alastor Moody seemed to be having a nightmare as he was making faces and groaning softly. Not wanting to disturb any of his dorm mates, Arnold grabbed his rucksack and decided to do some reading in the common room.

When he arrived in the Gryffindor common room, he was reminded of Carolyn when he saw a child's drawing stuck to the announcement board. It was a picture of a wizard, donned in scarlet and gold clothing, slaying a large green dragon. On the bottom, though, Arnold noticed the reason why this particular drawing had been hung up. A message had been written in very childlike hand writing: "Gryffindor - House of the Brave!" Arnold chuckled to himself as he examined the rest of the common room.

He sat down on a squashy armchair near the fireplace. Arnold could see one benefit of rising so early; Henry Bones had told him last night how the Prefects and Quidditch players usually took the better chairs in the common room. Henry had an older brother, Todd, who was a Gryffindor Prefect. The Bones brothers had rapidly become Arnold's source of information about Hogwarts and the wizarding world in general. He was certain he'd tired them out with his endless questions on his first night in the castle.

Upon thinking about Henry and Todd, Arnold was reminded of his younger sister once more. He had promised to write to her as soon as he'd arrived at Hogwarts. He withdrew two pieces of parchment, a bottle of blue ink and a quill from his bag. Leaning forward in his armchair, he thought of what to write to Carolyn. He did not want her to be too jealous of the wondrous castle in which he was staying. He also did not want to scare her; she had just gotten over her fear of ghosts and Arnold did not want to mention he had just met one named Nearly-Headless Nick at the welcome feast. After a few moments of thought he dipped his quill in ink and began to write.

_Dear Carolyn,_

_How is everything going at home? I hope you are enjoying your new primary school and that you've made lots of new friends. I miss you, Mum and Dad already._

_I know you probably want to know about the sorting. I was sorted into Gryffindor house, which is where the brave go. Alphard made Slytherin just like he said he would. There are so many different things in the magical world. You wouldn't believe it, but the pictures actually move! I can't wait to see what my lessons will be like. _

_If you can't read this letter very well, let Dad read it to you. He can also help you write me a letter back and give it to Birdie to send. Remember to be good! Before you know it Christmas will be here and I'll be home. Don't forget to ask Dad to help you write; I want to know how your school is, too!_

_With love,  
>Arnold<em>

Once finished, Arnold dropped his quill onto the table he'd been writing on. He removed his glasses, rubbing them with the sleeve of his dressing gown before placing them back on. The letter might prove a bit difficult for her to read, but he knew his father would be reading it to her anyway. Carolyn was seven years old now and insisted she could write her own letters to her brother, but Arnold felt that with David's help they became more comprehendible.

Besides, how could he _really _explain the beautiful Hogwarts castle in words? His thoughts became bittersweet as he realized his family would never see the glorious castle. They lived in a different world now. There was a bit of hope that Carolyn might be invited to Hogwarts at eleven years old as well, but none of the Gisneds knew if this would happen or not. Arnold had resolved to research Muggle-borns and their origin once he could get into the Hogwarts library. Alphard had assured him that there were books on nearly everything there.

Arnold picked up his quill and dipped it in ink a second time, withdrawing the second piece of parchment. He wrote a longer letter to his parents. Everything from the different types of sweets he'd tried on the Hogwarts Express to his new friends in Gryffindor house was described in detail. He knew his parents wanted to know as much as possible about their son's experiences in the wizarding world. His father had even purchased an owl for the rest of the family, which Carolyn had appropriately named "Birdie."

David Gisned was especially fascinated with the wizarding world. Aside from purchasing Birdie, he had also asked Alphard to teach him how to subscribe to the _Daily Prophet_. In the month before Arnold had left for Hogwarts his father had taken to loudly announcing the _Prophet_'s every article at breakfast, utterly fascinated. Arnold could definitely understand and appreciated David's enthusiasm. After all, it had just been revealed to his family mere months ago that there was an entire world they had known nothing about.

Arnold also mentioned in the letter to his parents that Alphard had been sorted into Slytherin. The boy had gloomily predicted the outcome of his sorting, telling Arnold and his family how _everyone_ in the Black family was sorted into Slytherin. Being sorted into any other house brought shame upon the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. David and Joanne regarded Alphard as a second son and they, like Arnold, would be disappointed that the two best mates were now in separate houses. Each time he thought of Alphard having to live with Cygnus even at school, a sour feeling grew in his stomach. He pushed the thought aside and continued his letter.

Arnold described the sorting ceremony to his parents in greater detail. He informed them that the Sorting Hat would have put him in Ravenclaw (making sure to explain what that meant, of course) if not for the courage it had detected inside of him. He also told them a bit about Alastor, Alleister and Henry. David and Joanne would enjoy knowing that Arnold had already made some friends in Gryffindor house.

Once the second letter was finished, Arnold massaged his right hand with his left. He had written quite a lot to his parents for having only spent one night at Hogwarts. The letters were then folded, ink and quill stashed back into his bag. He heard footsteps coming from the staircase to the boys' dormitories, followed by a deep yawn.

Arnold turned around to face a smirking Alastor Moody. His blond hair was sticking up in all directions and Arnold laughed at the sight. It reminded him of Alphard's messy hair. Alastor quickly smoothed his hair with his hands as he took a seat on the couch next to Arnold.

"Sleep all right?" Alastor asked him.

"Yeah," replied Arnold. "I really never wake up this early," he explained.

Alastor nodded knowingly. "Must be the change of scenery. You'll get used to it, I expect. I always like to rise earlier when there are other people in the room. That way they can't hex you if they wake before you."

Arnold glanced at the boy, eyebrows raised.

Alastor merely shrugged. "Constant vigilance," he said with a smile.

Arnold was still confused but he did not push the issue. "This is a lot to take in, yeah? I can't believe I'm going to be learning _magic_ today." He grinned at the thought.

Alastor nodded enthusiastically. "My dad used to tell me stories about the castle, but I never pictured it being _this_ great."

Again, Arnold heard footsteps; this time they were coming from the girls' dormitories. Both boys turned around.

An older girl descended the stairs, already wearing her Gryffindor robes. Arnold noticed the silver Prefect badge pinned to them and remembered her as the Prefect with Todd Bones that had led them from the Great Hall last night. She had long, raven hair that cascaded down almost to her waist. Her eyes were narrowed and inquisitive, watching them through square spectacles. Arnold glanced at Alastor and saw his friend did not seem to recognize the Prefect.

"Good morning," the Prefect said pleasantly.

"Morning," the boys said at the same time.

"You're first years, aren't you?" the girl asked. Both Arnold and Alastor nodded. "I remember seeing you sorted last night. Plus, no one else would be awake this early on the first day back. Welcome to Gryffindor."

She chuckled as their eyes widened at how easily she had identified them as newcomers. Arnold could not help but wonder if people would notice he was a Muggle-born that easily.

"My name is Minerva McGonagall," she said. "I'm in my fifth year."

"I'm Alastor Moody," Alastor said at once.

Minerva's eyes widened a bit. "You're Victor Moody's son, aren't you? He was an incredible Auror; my mum used to go on and on about what a hero he was."

Alastor smiled. "He _is_ my hero," he told Minerva. "I'm going to become an Auror too."

"Are you really?" Minerva asked, looking impressed. "I do hope that you will!" She then turned to Arnold. "What is your name?"

"Arnold Gisned," answered Arnold. "I'm a Muggle-born."

"Welcome to Hogwarts, Arnold," Minerva said kindly.

Minerva then began to move toward the portrait hole that was the entrance and exit to Gryffindor Tower. "I've got to run. I patrol the corridors until breakfast is ready. It was nice meeting you both." With that, she left through the portrait hole, leaving the two boys alone once more.

Alastor and Arnold sat in silence after Minerva had left the common room. Eventually more students began filing down from both staircases. Soon enough, Henry and Alleister were among them.

"Morning," Alleister greeted them just as he stumbled on the last step. Henry caught him before he could fall, but his cheeks still flushed crimson.

The four Gryffindor first years exchanged greetings before Arnold and Alastor went back upstairs to change into their new uniforms. Once the duo had donned their scarlet-trimmed robes and washed up a bit, they headed back down the stairs. Luckily Alleister and Henry were waiting for them by the portrait hole.

The boys decided to follow a group of Ravenclaw girls down the Grand Staircase and into the Great Hall. Thankfully they did not get stuck on a moving staircase, although Alleister did get his foot stuck in a trick step near the second floor. After Arnold and the others helped him up, the quartet made it to the Great Hall without anymore diversions.

The magnificent Great Hall seemed to be halfway full of chatting students and staff members. Arnold looked up to see that the ceiling, enchanted to show the sky outside, was looking sunny thus far. He was grateful that it was turning out to be a rather nice day. The boys took seats toward the center of the Gryffindor table.

Arnold had never encountered so many different breakfast foods. He quickly filled his plate with various delicious-looking croissants, bacon, a few different types of eggs, toast, and a few sausages as well. After filling a bowl full of porridge and a goblet full of pumpkin juice, he decided he had enough to eat and began to tuck in. Ignoring the amused look from Henry, he ate rather quickly and enjoyed every moment of it. Arnold couldn't seem to help himself. He was learning fast that the food at Hogwarts was incredibly delicious.

After the majority of students had arrived for breakfast, Arnold noticed that Professor Dumbledore had now taken his seat at the staff table next to Headmaster Dippet. For some reason, Arnold trusted Professor Dumbledore. After meeting him back in July Arnold had learned of what a brilliant wizard Dumbledore was. Apparently the Transfiguration teacher had discovered the twelve uses for dragon blood, as well as many other brilliant magical discoveries. He was renowned throughout the wizarding world as one of the most accomplished wizards of his time. Arnold could not help but wonder what it was that made Dumbledore want to remain as a teacher at Hogwarts when it was clear he could do much more.

Arnold's train of thought was interrupted as he saw hundreds of owls soaring into the Great Hall. Among them was an owl that he recognized: Birdie. His father's tawny owl was heading straight for him, clutching in its talons a large package for Arnold from home. When Birdie landed Arnold fed him a piece of his bacon while he untied the package. He then pulled out the letters to his parents and sister that he had written that morning and tied them to Birdie's leg. He had been planning to send the letters using his own owl, Harper, but Birdie's arrival was quite convenient.

Once Birdie had taken off, Arnold opened his package and was happy to find that it was full of sweets. Surprisingly, David and Joanne had managed to get a hold of a few Chocolate Frogs, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. The package also contained many Muggle sweets that Arnold enjoyed. He found a few sickles towards the bottom, along with a letter, both of which he stored in the pocket of his robes. He closed the package, smiling to himself. His pure-blood friends would likely be fascinated by the various Muggle treats, so he vowed to share them later on in their dormitory.

Arnold then glanced at his friends to see what they had received from the morning post. Alastor was in the process of paying a beautiful snowy owl for the _Daily Prophet_ he had just received. On Arnold's left, Alleister had received a parcel from a large eagle owl and was reading the letter sent with it.

After he had finished his breakfast, feeling just as full as he had at last night's Welcome Feast, Arnold could not help but search the Slytherin table for Alphard. It did not take much time to locate his unmistakable messy hair. He was sitting next to Violette Black, another first year Slytherin. The two of them were chatting with a mousy-haired girl next to Violette and a pretty blonde girl on Alphard's other side. Arnold was relieved to see that not only was Alphard making some friends in Slytherin house, but that Cygnus and his cronies were seated at the other side of the Slytherin table.

The heads of each house rose from the staff table to distribute their students' schedules. Arnold became excited, as he would finally be learning what lessons he'd be taking at Hogwarts. Of course he'd had an idea, thanks to Alphard and the fact that he'd read all of the required spell books eight times prior to arriving at Hogwarts.

Professor Dumbledore approached Arnold just as he had begun skimming through _Hogwarts, a History_, hoping the book would help him and his friends find their way to the lessons a bit easier. Dumbledore, as head of Gryffindor house, handed Arnold and his friends their schedules. The elder wizard flashed Arnold a warm smile, his blue eyes twinkling as they were the last time Arnold had seen him.

"Not bad," said Alastor in between sips of pumpkin juice. "We've got Herbology with the Ravenclaws first, and then double Transfiguration with the Hufflepuffs. After lunch we just have double Potions with the Slytherins. That's not bad for the first day, but the rest of the week gets much more hectic."

The others murmured their agreement as they studied their timetables.

"Brilliant," Alleister said with relief. "We don't have _too_ many lessons with the Slytherins."

"Alphard is a Slytherin," Arnold reminded him.

"I'm not talking about him," Alleister explained. "You see that girl Alphard's sitting with? The brunette?" Arnold nodded. "She looked over at our table yesterday during the sorting. I was smiling and I, erm..." Alleister trailed off, seeming as if he couldn't find the right word to describe the effect his smile had on others.

"_Dazzled_ her?" Alastor asked with a smirk.

"Yeah," said Alleister glumly. "That's not the problem, though. I got annoyed at how I _dazzled_ her, and she noticed. I think I frightened her."

"I wouldn't think on it, Al," Henry said. "Most Slytherins tend to become bad people. You know, Dark wizards and such. Look at Rubin Lestrange; he just _reeks_ of evil."

"Alphard isn't like that," Arnold replied. "I know that most of the Slytherins hate Muggle-borns, but Alphard is my best mate. If Cygnus wasn't at Hogwarts he'd have an easier time talking to me here."

Alastor and Henry nodded, a bit reluctantly, and Arnold could see the distrust in their eyes. They knew of the Black family and their reputation for producing pure-blood supremacists and Dark wizards. Alleister, however, appeared not to be listening any longer. He was studying Violette Black.

After the boys had all finished their breakfast and Alastor was finished reading the _Daily Prophet_, they left the castle and headed down to Greenhouse One for Herbology. There was a group of Ravenclaw girls already waiting outside the greenhouse when the Gryffindor boys arrived. Arnold immediately recognized two of them from the sorting: Myrtle Benson and Olive Hornby. Myrtle was a petite girl with large, round glasses and her dark hair in pigtails. She had been sorted just before Alphard. Olive had been sorted just after Arnold himself and it was her gold-flecked orbs that registered the appearance of the four boys. All three girls ceased their chatter at once and turned to them.

"Hello there," said the girl that Arnold did not recognize. "I'm Augusta Smith." She gestured to Myrtle and Olive. "These are my new mates, Olive Hornby and Myrtle Benson."

Arnold smiled, his eyes locked on Augusta's. She was very pretty; he especially liked how her hair was the exact shade of cinnamon. Arnold did not quite understand why he had felt a few butterflies in his stomach when she'd looked him in the eye. He decided that it was his nerves and settled for introducing himself and his companions to the girls.

"I'm Arnold Gisned," he said. "These are my mates: Alastor Moody, Alleister Anxium and Henry Bones."

Olive giggled, but Myrtle and Augusta did not. In fact, Arnold noted that Myrtle looked a bit depressed. She was running a hand gingerly through each of her pigtails and staring down at the ground.

"You'll have to excuse them," Augusta muttered to Arnold. "They're Muggle-borns, you see. All of this is very new to them. Magic, that is."

Arnold grinned. "I'm Muggle-born too," he explained to Augusta.

Olive began whispering excitedly to Myrtle, who sighed as she listened to her friend. Olive seemed to be surveying each boy and reporting her findings to the bespectacled girl. Before anything else could be said, the group caught sight of an older Hufflepuff student jogging towards them. She was a dumpy-looking girl with a few twigs caught in her wild brown hair. This girl was no first year, though. Arnold could see a golden badge pinned to her robes right next to the Hufflepuff crest.

"Sorry," the girl muttered as she approached them. She pulled out a set of keys from her robes and unlocked the door to the greenhouse. Arnold exchanged a surprised look with his friends. They all appeared to be wondering the same thing; how could a student be their teacher?

The four boys followed the three Ravenclaws inside. Arnold took a seat next to Henry while Alleister and Alastor took the seats in front of them. Arnold was happy to see his new Ravenclaw acquaintances take the seats on his left, with Augusta sitting right next to him.

"Do you know her yet?" Arnold asked Augusta quietly, gesturing to the older girl that had let them in the greenhouse.

Augusta smiled at him. "I don't personally know her, but I know who she is. She's the Head Girl this year. Her name is Pomona Sprout. I think she's Professor Beery's assistant in Herbology. I've heard that it's been a long time since a Hufflepuff was Head Girl or Boy. My older brother Algie is in Hufflepuff."

"Oh," Arnold replied lamely. Augusta giggled and her cheeks flushed, which made Arnold's stomach erupt in butterflies once more.

Soon after Pomona Sprout's arrival, more of the first years arrived at the greenhouse and seated themselves throughout the room. Only moments after the rest of the class arrived, Professor Beery rushed in looking rather flustered.

"Sorry about that," Professor Beery announced once the chatting first years had settled down. "My name is Professor Beery. As you can probably tell, I am your Herbology teacher." He then gestured to Pomona, who had begun organizing the professor's scattered notes for him. "For those who have not met her yet, this is Head Girl Pomona Sprout. She will be assisting me with lessons every now and then. I ask that all of you give Miss Sprout the same amount of respect that you would give to any other teacher."

Pomona waved sheepishly to the first years and some of the students, including Olive, clapped for her. She reached into her hair, pulled out a few twigs and smiled at the welcome.

"Now," Professor Beery continued. "Since this is your first lesson in Herbology, I won't make this difficult. Today I will be showing you some of the plants you will be working with this year, along with others you will simply be researching. I advise you all to take notes in order to prepare yourselves for future lessons. All you will need is a quill and parchment today."

There were a few moments of noise as the first years packed away their gloves and goggles and withdrew their quills and ink. Arnold was eager to begin the lesson, as he had read _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_ many times over the summer. He was excited to finally see some of the plants he had read about in his text.

By the time most students had taken out their quills and bottles of ink, Professor Beery and Pomona had already brought several strange-looking plants to the front table. One of them was rather large and looked a bit intimidating. Arnold pulled out his copy of _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_, though he was certain that he recognized most of the plants on the front table.

"Can anyone identify this plant here that Miss Sprout has set up on the very end of the table?" Professor Beery asked immediately. His hazel eyes swept over each student's face, studying them.

Arnold looked at the plant in question. He mentally searched through all the pictures he had seen in his Herbology book. He studied how the plant seemed to be peacefully still, while the one next to it thrashed about, and he also took note of its vivid red color. After a few moments of concentration, it dawned on him. He quickly double-checked in his book that his idea was correct. Once he saw he was right his hand shot into the air. Arnold saw that Augusta had her hand raised as well. He looked away and fixed his eyes determinedly on Professor Beery.

"Yes, you there m'boy," Professor Beery said as he gestured to Arnold.

"Hellebore," Arnold said. Professor Beery and Pomona both grinned at the Muggle-born. "It's a crucial ingredient in the Draught of Peace, and in powdered form it is believed to induce invisibility in the user."

Arnold felt his face grow even hotter as almost every head in the greenhouse had turned to him. Surely it had been mandatory for the students to study their new spell books over the summer?

"Excellent!" Professor Beery exclaimed. "Five points to Gryffindor! What might your name be, son?"

"Arnold Gisned, sir," Arnold said with a slight grimace. In his old Muggle primary school, Prunentia Preperatory School, many students would snigger at Arnold's rather odd surname. To his surprise, not a single student laughed. In fact, the students seemed to be looking at him in awe.

The Gryffindor first years began to clap lightly. Alastor and Alleister turned around in their seats wearing identical grins. Henry clapped him on the back. Even Augusta had joined in on the small round of applause he had received. Arnold smiled with relief and pride. He was really beginning to love magic.

"You're the first one of us to earn points for Gryffindor, mate," Henry whispered to him.

"Thanks," Arnold whispered back to Henry. He had to force his eyes not to linger on Alleister's sparkling white teeth; the boy was smiling at him and Arnold hadn't found a way to avoid being drawn into its charm.

Next, Professor Beery pointed out the thrashing plant next to the hellebore. "Can anyone tell me the name of this one here?"

Once again, Arnold and Augusta both raised their hands. This time Professor Beery called upon Augusta, wanting to be fair to the two of them.

"That's a bouncing bulb, sir," Augusta said dutifully. "They're not normally dangerous, but once they get larger they can take an eye out if the handler isn't careful."

"Well done!" Professor Beery cheered. "Five points to Ravenclaw! Your name, miss?"

"Augusta Smith," replied Augusta.

"Excellent job, Miss Smith," Professor Beery complimented the same way he'd done to Arnold.

This time the first year Ravenclaws clapped for Augusta. Olive squeezed her friend's shoulder while Myrtle gave her an encouraging smile. Arnold assumed that she was the first in her year to earn points for her house as well. He was also happy to see that he was not the only one that had read the assigned book before the start of term.

Arnold's fellow Gryffindors were not disappointed throughout the rest of the lesson. Professor Beery called upon Arnold and Augusta in turns to identify all of the plants out on the front table. Augusta correctly identified the Alihotsy plant, and told the class of how eating its leaves was said to cause hysteria. Arnold identified the sneezewort, explaining how it was a kind of yarrow often used in potions that cause confusion. Augusta pointed out the Devil's Snare, surprised that it was even on the table because of how dangerous it was. Lastly, Arnold correctly named the Mimbulus Mimbletonia and described how it secretes stinksap as a defense mechanism.

After twenty points had been earned for both Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, thanks to Arnold and Augusta's combined knowledge of the plants on the front desk, Professor Beery spent the rest of the lesson quizzing the students. The majority of the students answered their questions incorrectly, but some Ravenclaws, including Myrtle, did have the right answers. Alastor was able to answer his question, to explain the differences in planting with dragon dung versus mooncalf dung, and earned two points for Gryffindor. Arnold and Augusta also answered their questions correctly.

By the end of Herbology, thirty points had been earned for Gryffindor, and twenty-five had been earned for Ravenclaw. Professor Beery was quite thrilled, and as the class came to an end he called for his students' attention by loudly clearing his throat.

"What a productive day we have had today!" Professor Beery said. "I have never given out so many points in a first year class before, and on the first day no less! Mister Gisned and Miss Smith have demonstrated exceptional knowledge of plants and their effects. Mister Moody and Miss Benson are also to be commended for answering their questions correctly, proving they understand the effects of the different composts and planting materials. Well done, the four of you! I can tell this is going to be an excellent year!"

"To the rest of you, do not worry," Professor Beery went on. "It is only the first day, and I did not expect any of you to walk in here today as Herbology experts. That's why I am here, after all, to teach you about these plants. Some of the plants I have shown you today, such as the Devil's Snare and the Mimbulus Mimbletonia, you will not see again until your fifth or sixth year here at Hogwarts. We will, however, be working with the others such as the gurdyroot and dittany."

The professor paused his speech to take a long breath. The students had begun to pack up their quills and ink bottles as it was almost time for the lesson to end.

"Your homework is to write a paragraph about each of the plants displayed on the front desk today. I do hope you all wrote them down, as Mister Gisned and Miss Smith clearly identified all of them for us. Only one paragraph per plant is acceptable, though you must be sure to explain not only the plants' uses, such as in various potions, but its appearance as well. You can find all of this in your copies of _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi._ Thank you, once again, to those who participated. Have a good day, everyone!"

It was at precisely that time that the bell rang, echoing throughout the grounds of the castle and heard even by the first years in Greenhouse One. A pair of Gryffindor girls stayed seated, frantically trying to jot down the names of the plants that were still on the front desk. The rest of the students began to exit, with some still congratulating Arnold and Augusta on earning so many points for their respective houses.

"That was good teamwork," Augusta commented, smirking.

"Yeah," said Arnold. "Too bad we're not in the same house, or we'd probably win the House Cup."

"I didn't know you knew so much about Herbology," said Augusta.

"You mean because I'm Muggle-born?" Arnold asked.

Augusta promptly turned red and shook her head violently. "No, not because you're Muggle-born! It's because most of the others didn't know what any of those plants were. I was afraid I was the only one that had read the text before the start of term!"

Arnold laughed. "I read and re-read them, thinking that because I was Muggle-born I would be far behind everyone else once I got here. I was so surprised when I realized no one besides us had even _looked_ at the book yet!"

Now Augusta was the one laughing as Myrtle and Olive joined her outside of the greenhouse. "I'd better go," she said somewhat reluctantly. "We have Charms next and that's all the way on the third floor. It was nice meeting you, Arnold."

"Nice meeting you too," Arnold replied.

Augusta smiled sweetly as she and her friends headed back to the castle. Arnold turned to find that Alastor, Alleister and Henry had been watching the exchange. All three of his friends were now wearing wicked grins, and Arnold groaned inwardly.

"Someone's in love," Alastor teased.

"I am not in love," Arnold protested, though it only caused his friends to snigger more. "Really, I'm not! She's just really good at Herbology."

"All right, mate," Henry said, clapping Arnold on the back once more. "We'll back off because you just earned twenty-eight points for Gryffindor in there." He gestured with his thumb to the greenhouse they were now walking away from.

"That was brilliant, by the way," Alleister said, grinning. Arnold looked away.

"Thanks," Arnold said. "I didn't realize that it wasn't mandatory to read the books before the start of term. I thought I'd be so far behind everyone else that I spent day and night reading them over and over."

"You're going to be one of the best in our year," Alastor informed him. "I can already tell. You're a brilliant wizard, Arnold."

"Yeah," Henry agreed. "I can't wait to see you actually cast spells!"

The boys all murmured their agreement. Soon they approached the castle, and before long they had entered through the large double doors into the Entrance Hall. The quartet headed up the Grand Staircase, but it did not take long for all of them to realize that they had no idea where the Transfiguration classroom was.

"We should ask someone for directions," Alastor said once Arnold had voiced this concern aloud. "If we don't, we'll end up being late for our first class with Dumbledore."

Arnold readily agreed with his friend. He was terribly afraid of disappointing the man who had given him a chance to become a wizard in the first place. Somehow, showing up late to the first lesson Dumbledore taught seemed very disrespectful to him. The boys set off to find someone to ask for directions to the Transfiguration Wing, but it did not take long for them to find someone willing to do so.

The semi-transparent ghost was floating around the Grand Staircase, laughing maniacally and throwing what appeared to be dungbombs onto the first floor staircase. Luckily, that particular staircase was moving and the majority of the ghost's ammunition missed its target. The ghost stopped in his tracks as he heard the four first years approaching him, asking if he could give them directions to the Transfiguration classroom. He turned around, smiling wickedly.

"What's your name?" Alastor asked him.

"Peeves," the ghost replied sweetly. "Peeves the Poltergeist, at your service!" The poltergeist then saluted the four first years. "How can I help you ickle firsties?"

Alastor's eyes narrowed in distrust, but it was Alleister that spoke this time. "We need to find out how to get to the Transfiguration classroom," he said.

Peeves cackled, but complied and gave the first years the directions they desired. They hurried off to the fourth floor in the direction that Peeves had told them to go. None of them realized they had just received false directions from the school's permanent resident prankster until they reached the girl's lavatory on the very end of the fourth floor. As they rushed back to the staircase, fuming and now running late for their lesson, they could still hear Peeves cackling from the floors below.

"I should've known not to take directions from Peeves!" Henry lamented, smacking his forehead in frustration. "My brother mentioned him, but I forgot which ghost was the one that was trouble!"

"Poltergeists are always trouble," Alastor growled. "It's practically their job. I knew something didn't sound right."

"We still have two minutes," Alleister said, checking his wristwatch. "D'you reckon we should ask someone else? I mean, we still don't have a clue where to go..."

"The library!" Arnold exclaimed, glancing down the fourth floor corridor just as they'd reached the entrance to the Grand Staircase.

Alleister and Alastor looked at him curiously, while Henry sighed. "Look, Arnold, I know you like your books and all, but this really isn't the time-"

"No, he's right," Alastor interrupted, grinning. "The library's on the fourth floor. We can ask someone in there for the right directions!"

"Brilliant!" Alleister said.

The four Gryffindors darted down the fourth floor corridor once more, except now they went the other way. They were fairly certain they had not passed the library when following Peeves's 'directions.' As they had hoped, the library was easy to find and not that far down from the staircase. They quickly entered and approached the first person they saw. Luckily, both Arnold and Alastor recognized her.

"Minerva!" Alastor said as the boys hurried towards her.

Minerva looked up from the book she was reading and smiled. "Hello Alastor, Arnold. Shouldn't you lot be in class right now?"

As if to prove her point, the late bell rang and the boys groaned, earning them a warning from the Hogwarts librarian. "Yes, we're supposed to be in Transfiguration," Arnold explained quickly. "We didn't know how to get there, though, so we asked Peeves the Poltergeist for directions."

Minerva laughed, but hastily covered it with a cough when she realized the boys were serious. "You actually asked _Peeves_ for directions? I bet he led you to a loo!"

"That's exactly what he did!" Alleister confirmed.

"We didn't know who he was," Arnold explained. "Anyway, we're _really_ running late for Transfiguration, and we still haven't a clue where it is. Can you tell us how to get there, Minerva? Please?"

Minerva smiled at them once more. She took out a piece of parchment and began scribbling on it hastily. She then handed it to Alastor, who was closest to her. He read it over and smiled at her. "Thanks, Minerva!"

"Yeah, thanks!" said Arnold.

"Glad I could help," Minerva said as she opened her book once more. "Professor Dumbledore is very nice. If you tell him what you told me about Peeves leading you to a loo, he won't dock points for you lot being late."

"Thank you," sighed Henry and Alleister simultaneously.

The four boys sprinted out into the corridor, dashed up the staircases and eventually reached the sixth floor. They followed Minerva's directions and, to their great pleasure, saw that it led them directly to the classroom door with a plaque that read 'Transfiguration.'

"Brilliant!" Alleister exclaimed again. "We're fifteen minutes late, but we're here!"

"So what are we waiting for?" Alastor asked, putting his hand on the doorknob and turning. "We're wasting time when we're already late!"

The four of them entered the classroom to find that Professor Dumbledore was already in the process of teaching the class about what they would be doing in first year Transfiguration. The professor looked up upon their entrance, but Arnold was relieved to see that he was still smiling warmly.

Arnold had not been this close to Professor Dumbledore since he had arrived at his home to deliver the news that would change his life. Dumbledore's long, auburn hair and beard had bits of grey in them, and his blue eyes seemed to have a twinkle in them that was only enhanced by the half-moon spectacles he wore. A man that looked like Dumbledore did was quite hard to forget, in Arnold's opinion. Arnold met Dumbledore's eyes as he stood in his classroom and was surprised to find no disappointment in them. His eyes seemed to be twinkling with amusement as he surveyed the panting group of boys that had just burst into his classroom.

"Welcome to Transfiguration," Dumbledore said to them. "Boys, please take your seats. You all look as if you're going to pass out."

"Sorry, Professor," Arnold said as he joined Henry at a table in the third row. "Peeves gave us the wrong directions."

Several of the Hufflepuffs gave him looks of commiseration. From Arnold's experience thus far, he was never going to trust that appropriately-named Peeves again.

Professor Dumbledore nodded. "It is quite all right, Mister Gisned. I can see that your tardiness was in no way intentional."

Arnold smiled, grateful that Gryffindor would not lose any of the points he'd earned this morning due to tardiness. He wondered how exactly Dumbledore could 'see' that they had not meant to be late for the lesson, but he pushed the thought aside as he began taking out his materials from his rucksack.

"Now," Dumbledore continued, "as I have already taken roll call, would you four boys please introduce yourselves?"

Alastor immediately rose from his seat two rows behind Arnold and Henry. "Alastor Moody, sir," he said with a hint of pride in his voice. Dumbledore's eyes widened just a bit.

"You seem to be a true Gryffindor, Mister Moody," the professor said. "As your father was, of course. Forgive me - I am very sorry that you lost him."

Alastor's chest swelled with pride as he looked Dumbledore in the eye the entire time. "Thank you, Professor," Alastor responded at last. "I'm going to make him proud, sir. It's the only reason why I'm here."

Arnold glanced back at his friend in astonishment. He hadn't known that he was only at Hogwarts for one reason. Arnold could think of a hundred reasons to have left the Muggle world behind, even though it had meant leaving his parents and sister behind as well. He knew the importance of family. After his father's death, had Alastor wanted to stay home and care for his mother?

"I don't doubt it, Mister Moody," Dumbledore replied with a crooked smile. His eyes then slid over to Alleister. "And what is your name, lad?"

"Alleister Anxium," Alleister said in a slightly quivering voice.

"Ah, Celestia's son!" Dumbledore exclaimed.

Arnold frowned. Alphard had told him that the Potions Master was the teacher obsessed with his students' parentage. He wondered if Professor Dumbledore had talked about the other students' parents when he performed roll call at the start of class.

"I remember when she was in my classroom," Dumbledore reminisced. "Such a brilliant witch she was. She received ten O.W.L.s, you know! Nazarius was quite the wizard as well; he was Head Boy during his time here at Hogwarts."

Alleister grinned sheepishly at the compliments to his parents. Arnold remembered that Alleister had told him and the others on the Hogwarts Express how close he was with Celestia Anxium. "Thank you, sir," responded the young Gryffindor, who was pointedly ignoring the looks the Gryffindor girls were giving him in response to his smile. "My Mum and Dad are great."

Professor Dumbledore did not seem to be immune to Alleister's smile. His eyes did not linger on the boy as others' did, but he chuckled softly. "Veela blood, I take it?"

Alleister turned bright red as a group of Hufflepuff girls began whispering and giggling amongst themselves. This was the second time Arnold had heard the word Veela and he still did not have a single clue as to what it meant. He made a mental note to ask one of his friends after class, when it would not embarrass his friend even more. Whatever a Veela was, it seemed to humiliate Alleister every time.

"Yes, sir," Alleister said quietly.

Several Hufflepuff boys to Arnold's left were laughing lightly, yet they were looking at Alleister with what seemed to be respect. The girls, both Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, continued to whisper and giggle. Arnold frowned in frustration and promptly opened his copy of _A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration_ and absorbed himself in it. He supposed there was still much he needed to learn about the wizarding world, despite the number of books he had read in preparation.

The commotion made over Alleister's Veela blood ended soon as Professor Dumbledore turned his attention to Henry.

"Henry Bones, sir," said Henry when he was prompted.

"Ah, another name I recognize," Dumbledore said. "Do tell your parents I send them my best! I trust your new baby sister is doing well? I have not had a chance to ask your brother."

"Yes, sir," Henry replied. "Susan is already getting so big." The boy grinned and Arnold could not help but smile as well. He proudly remembered the day that Carolyn was born and he had learned he had a new baby sister to love and protect.

After the four latecomers had been introduced, Professor Dumbledore finally launched into their first Transfiguration lesson. Arnold quickly earned five more points for Gryffindor as he explained Hubert Barnaby's Five Steps to Basic Transfiguration. A few of the Hufflepuffs earned points for their house as well. However, not even Arnold could compete with Henry's knowledge of Transfiguration. It quickly became apparent that this was going to be Henry's best subject.

Both Arnold and Henry took detailed notes of every word Professor Dumbledore said. Arnold discovered he was really going to enjoy Transfiguration; there was something very alluring to him about changing one thing into something else entirely. Unfortunately, their first lesson consisted only of taking notes and listening to Professor Dumbledore describe the various ways Transfiguration was useful in the wizarding world. By the time the bell rang for the lesson to end, Arnold and Henry had each taken about twenty inches of notes.

As the students filed out of the Transfiguration classroom, the four Gryffindor boys decided that they liked their Head of House. Arnold finally decided to ask Alleister what on earth a Veela was, figuring his friend would not be as embarrassed when he asked in front of just his friends. Alleister's cheeks turned pink when he was asked, but he answered the question without a moment's hesitation.

"Veelas are really attractive women," Alleister said, turning red once more. "They're not really considered humans, though. They've got this charm that makes them almost irresistible. My great-grandmother was a half-Veela and my mum reckons I inherited some of her Veela charm."

"Which only seems to show when you smile," Arnold surmised. His friend nodded. "So, when you smile, it sort of makes you irresistible?" He nodded once more.

"I wish I could turn it off," muttered a very red Alleister.

"That charm will come in handy," Alastor remarked. "You're going to be fighting the birds off of you soon enough! You saw how every witch in the room was looking at you when you smiled, Al!"

Alleister groaned, but shortly joined in on his friends' laughter at Alastor's comment. Arnold was secretly glad he did not possess any sort of charm; he did not need or want any of the girls fawning over him.

By the time Arnold and his friends entered the Great Hall, lunch was already being served. Each boy quickly took a seat at the Gryffindor table and began to pile food upon his plate. Arnold was, once again, awed by the amount of food Hogwarts had to offer its students. He couldn't decide what to eat first, so he took a little bit of everything that was within reach.

Out of habit now, Arnold glanced over to the Slytherin table. He saw Cygnus was surrounded by Slytherins as he appeared to be demonstrating something highly humorous. Alphard was seated at the other end of the table, chatting with the group of Slytherin girls Arnold had seen him with at breakfast. Arnold also noticed that Violette Black was among them. He wondered if the petite brunette was related to Alphard or if it was mere coincidence that they had the same surname. He was not sure how popular surnames were in the wizarding world, since witches and wizards made up so little of the world's population.

Sighing to himself as he enjoyed his scones, Arnold looked over at the staff table. On Headmaster Dippet's right, Professor Beery talking animatedly to Professor Dumbledore. However, Dumbledore seemed to be a bit distracted. Upon further examination, Arnold noticed that his favorite professor was watching one of the students.

Arnold followed Dumbledore's gaze to an older Slytherin that was currently speaking quietly to a small group of boys. The boy was very good looking, even Arnold had to admit. However, there seemed to be something off about the boy. He could not tell why he suspected this, but he sensed that Dumbledore knew it as well. Arnold shrugged off the suspicious feeling and turned back to his friends. Todd Bones, Henry's older brother, had joined them for lunch.

"All we have left today is double Potions with the Slytherins," Alleister reported, stuffing his timetable back into the pocket of his robes.

"Professor Slughorn is all right," Todd said. "He grades very fairly and he's not that strict. He favors some students over others, though. You know, children of famous witches and wizards receive better treatment. He has a little club where he invites all of his young prodigies for dinner parties."

Arnold knew all about the Slug Club from Alphard's stories. He said Professor Slughorn didn't necessarily choose _all_ of his favorite students by blood status. Alphard had told his best mate how Cygnus complained to Walburga that Slughorn's most favorite student was a half-blood. Arnold glumly noted the sour feeling in his stomach had returned despite the glorious meal in front of him. He really missed Alphard.

He glanced back at the Slytherin table to find that the suspicious-looking Prefect was only talking to two other Slytherins now. The others must have left the Great Hall early.

"Todd," Arnold said, trying to sound nonchalant. "D'you know that bloke over there?" He gestured to the boy at the Slytherin table as discreetly as possible.

Todd seemed rather irritated when he saw the boy Arnold had asked him about. Henry appeared to recognize him as well; his eyes had flew to the plate in front of him once he saw who Arnold was asking his brother about. Alastor and Alleister had even stopped debating whether Puddlemere United could beat Bulgaria in the upcoming Quidditch match. In addition to his friends, a rather tall Gryffindor boy that had been in on the Quidditch debate was now listening as well. That boy in particular was shooting the Slytherin in question a look of deepest loathing.

"That's Tom Riddle," Todd replied finally. "You'd do well to avoid him, mate. Everyone loves him; the witches all think he's so _gorgeous_ and the blokes are jealous of his wicked brains. Even the teachers love Riddle; he's the gem in Slughorn's collection."

"What's so bad about him?" Arnold inquired.

"Yeah," Alastor chimed in. "Why avoid him if he's so bloody _perfect_?"

The tall boy next to Todd that had been listening to the conversation guffawed loudly. Arnold noticed that this boy seemed to be rather large as well as tall. His body, head and hands were more than twice the size of any of the others'.

"There's somethin' not righ' about tha' Riddle bloke," he said in a thick accent. "I had detention with Ogg las' year in the Forbidden Forest, helpin' ter feed a coupl'a unicorn foals. Riddle was in there, I caugh' him m'self. Skulkin' around, he was."

"That's strange," Alleister remarked, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I wonder what he was doing in the Forbidden Forest?"

"Dunno," said the taller boy. "My name's Rubeus Hagrid, by t'way. Everyone calls me Hagrid."

"I'm Alleister Anxium," Alleister said. "These are my mates Alastor Moody, Arnold Gisned and Henry Bones." Alleister, ever the polite one of the lot, then smiled at his friends apologetically for speaking for them.

"Nice ter meet all of yeh," Hagrid replied with a broad grin. "Yeh seem like a decent lot."

Todd nodded in agreement. "You're right, Hagrid. I'm glad my brother has found some good friends. We need more decent blokes at Hogwarts."

The early bell rang, indicating to the students that they should begin to head to their next lesson. Todd and Hagrid gave the first years detailed directions to the Potions classroom. All of the Gryffindors laughed when Alastor told the story of how they had actually asked _Peeves_ for directions earlier. Minutes later the boys were on their way down into the dungeons.


	8. Slughorn and the Slytherins

**A/N: Yay for more canon characters making their way into the story! Chapters three and four were originally one chapter, since they take place from the same student's point of view and during the same day. It just got too long, though, so I decided to split it into two and post them at the same time. The next update won't take long; I really want to get into the "good stuff." ;) Let's just say this is going to be a very eventful school year! But of course, as Arnold is a Muggle-born and many of the characters are first years, I had to write a bit about their adjusting to Hogwarts. Please, if you have a second to spare, feel free to review. I'd love to hear what people think and if my story is going well or not. As always, thanks to all that have added this story to their Favorites/Alerts; without you, I wouldn't have known this story was well-liked. If you like my writing, check out the one-shots I've been posting. I also am writing a series of Black Sisters drabbles that will be up within the next few days. Enjoy, and thanks again for reading!  
><strong>

Chapter Four: Slughorn and the Slytherins

_September 2nd, 1944  
><em>_POV: Arnold Gisned_

"It's freezing down here," complained Henry as the four Gryffindor first years made their way through the stone-walled corridors of the dungeons. "I don't know how the Slytherins can live down here."

"They're slimy gits anyway," said Alastor. "They deserve to live down here." Arnold shot him a sharp look. "Well, most of them anyway," he added quickly.

The boys arrived at the Potions classroom with plenty of time to spare and, as the door was wide open, walked in. Once again, Alastor and Alleister sat in front of Arnold and Henry. As they began setting up their cauldrons and scales, Arnold wondered whether he would be able to speak to Alphard at all. Without Cygnus around, Alphard might be able to talk to him without worrying about the consequences.

A group of Slytherin girls were the next to enter the room. The boys turned around, surprised that another group of students had arrived so early. Arnold recognized three of the four as the girls Alphard had been sitting with during breakfast and lunch. The girl that Alphard knew as Violette Black turned bright red as she caught sight of Alleister. She then whispered something to the brunette next to her, who nodded and followed Violette towards where Arnold and his friends were sitting. The two girls sat down at the desk next to Alastor and Alleister, while the other two girls that had entered with them took the seats behind them.

"Hello," Violette Black said a bit timidly. "You're Alphard's friends, aren't you?"

"He's my best mate," Arnold blurted out. He instantly regretted that decision, for he did not know for a fact that the girl was trustworthy at all. After all, her surname was Black; for all Arnold knew she could be related to Alphard and, more importantly, Cygnus. He knew how prejudiced against Muggle-borns most Slytherins were. Arnold had promised himself that he wouldn't make things any harder for Alphard by revealing their friendship to anyone that was not trustworthy.

To Arnold's great surprise, Violette and her friends grinned. Violette's amber eyes were lit up with delight. Arnold decided that her eyes made as dazzling a sight as Alleister's smile, though she most likely did not possess any Veela blood.

"You must be Arnold Gisned," the girl next to Violette said. "Alphard's told us a lot about you."

"None of you have a problem with him being Muggle-born, then?" Alastor asked skeptically.

The girls exchanged an amused look before shaking their heads. "Not all Slytherins are prats, you know," Violette informed him. "We aren't, at least. That's why we like Alphard so much. He's different from the rest of the boys in our year." The other three nodded.

"Sorry," said Alleister as he gave Alastor a stern look. "We know that. My mate's dad was an Auror; I reckon he inherited his suspicion from him."

Alastor looked as if he were about to protest, but instead he simply nodded. "I didn't mean it like that," he replied apologetically. "I've just met a lot of bad Slytherins. I'm happy to see that there are good ones as well."

Violette smiled. "That's all right. Irina and Anna have older brothers that are right terrible." She gestured to the girls behind her. The blonde girl Arnold had seen at lunch was nodding glumly.

"I'm Irina Malfoy," the blonde said. Alastor inhaled sharply, though Arnold was pleased to see that he bit his tongue this time. "She's Anna Flint." Irina jerked her head towards the willowy girl next to her.

"Your father tried to get my father sacked from the Auror office," Alastor spat. He was glaring at Irina now, and Arnold suppressed a groan. One thing he was learning about Alastor Moody was that he did not trust many people, especially when those people were Slytherins.

For a moment it looked as if Irina Malfoy was going to cry. Her pale grey eyes filled with tears, but surprisingly she restrained herself. "I didn't know that," she said quietly. "I don't see Father very much. Abraxas and I have Mother, our governesses and the house elves to talk to, so Father doesn't bother coming to see us that often." She looked down, as Arnold knew that Alphard frequently did when discussing something that made him uncomfortable.

"All he cares about is marrying me off to the richest, most influential pure-blood bloke he can find," Irina continued. Her voice was now laced with bitterness. "After all, Abraxas is the heir, so he can do no wrong in their eyes. He's one of Cygnus Black's best mates, and that alone should say something about what he's like."

Arnold was the only one that looked surprised by the Malfoy girl's admission. Alphard didn't like to talk about his family, and thus he hadn't mentioned how pure-blood parents acted towards their daughters. When Arnold had seen Walburga Black at the Grey Goat Tavern a year ago she had certainly seemed respected enough by her parents. Did pure-blood parents really marry their daughters off in arranged betrothals, or was that something that was specific to the Malfoy family?

Arnold frowned. He suddenly wished he wasn't Muggle-born; there was clearly so much more he needed to learn about the new world he was living in. If she really was going to be married off like that, Arnold felt very sorry for Irina. He could not help but wonder if pure-blood supremacists even believed in the concept of love.

Anna Flint was quick to console her friend. "I know what you mean," she said to Irina. "My parents have a list of pure-bloods they approve of! They cross names off when a bloke gets married or shames his family. Your brother is on there, and so are Cygnus and Alphard." Anna then made a face, causing the girls to erupt in a fit of giggles.

Even though they were now laughing, Arnold felt even sorrier for the girls. He could not help but imagine Alphard having to marry a witch that was being forced to spend the rest of her life with him. Perhaps he was better off being a Muggle-born, Arnold thought to himself. At least he could choose who he wanted to marry, when the time was right of course. For some reason Arnold thought of the pretty Ravenclaw Augusta Smith, wondering if she would be betrothed to anyone. He glanced at Violette and her friend, but the other two girls did not seem to be able to relate to their friends' woes.

"Your parents don't want you married off, too?" Alleister asked Violette.

"Well, I don't have a father," Violette said. "He left my mum and me before I was even born. He ran away with my mum on an impulse, but he didn't tell her that he already had a family waiting for him to come back. A rich, respectable family no less. My father is Orion Black's father as well."

"Oh," replied Alleister, turning red. "I'm sorry."

"That explains why your surname is Black," Arnold said.

Violette smiled sadly. "I wish I could change it," she admitted. "Last night in the common room Cygnus Black was horrible to me. He told me I wasn't a real Black."

"That's rubbish!" Alleister growled. Alastor and Henry nodded in agreement.

"It was bad," Violette's friend told them with a scowl. "If Riddle hadn't stopped them-"

"Riddle?" Henry asked, interrupting her in mid-sentence. "As in Tom Riddle?"

"Yeah, him," the girl replied, waving her hand impatiently. "He told them to stop bothering Vi."

"Good," Alleister sighed with relief. He smiled at Violette, but the girl's eyes promptly glazed over as she stared at him shamelessly. In fact, all four girls were now looking at Alleister.

Moments later the girls seemed to gain back their senses. Violette looked away, turning redder by the minute, as her friends tried to look like they hadn't been ogling the boy.

"I'm sorry," said Violette softly. "I don't mean to stare. It's just that you have, er, nice teeth."

Alleister chuckled, having turned red as well. "It's not your fault that you're staring," he said. "I have some Veela blood in me. I think it only shows when I smile, since I'm a bloke."

"Oh," Violette said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. She gave Alleister a warm smile that said she understood. "At least that explains why you looked so angry at the feast last night, when I looked over to your table."

Alleister nodded. "I'm sorry if I offended you. It just gets annoying when you dazzle people every time you smile." He said this a bit wearily. "I'm Alleister Anxium by the way."

"Violette Black," said Violette. "This is my best mate, Eileen Prince." She gestured to the sallow faced girl next to her. "We live next door to one another. 'Leen and I have been close ever since we could talk." The two girls smiled fondly at each other, and Arnold couldn't help but think of his own best mate again.

"I'm Alastor Moody," Alastor spoke next. He then pointed to the boys behind him. "That's Arnold Gisned, as you know, and Henry Bones."

The first years turned around as they heard more footsteps approaching the Potions classroom. The dungeon corridors seemed to echo as the footfalls grew closer and closer. Another group of girls, Gryffindor this time, entered the room. Most of them were looking at Alleister and giggling; it was very likely that they'd seen his smile during their morning Transfiguration lesson.

"It's starting already," Alastor muttered with a smirk. Arnold laughed with him and Henry at the accuracy of Alastor's earlier prediction.

"Dunderheads," Violette hissed, scowling at the Gryffindor girls. Alleister chuckled and gave Violette an appreciative smile.

They all turned around once more at the sound of more footsteps. Arnold couldn't help but grin as Alphard stepped into the room with a lanky Slytherin boy. Alphard glanced at Arnold and then at the Slytherin girls. Three of the girls had resumed their chatter with Arnold's friends.

Violette, however, continued to look at Alphard. The two seemed to be having a conversation with their eyes. After a moment, Alphard grinned and whispered something to his companion. The boy laughed and clapped Alphard on the back as he took a seat near the giggling Gryffindor girls.

Alphard grabbed a chair and pulled it up to Arnold and Henry's desk. "Room for one more?" he asked with a knowing smirk.

"You sure you want to sit with a Mudblood?" Arnold teased, forgetting the others around him in his happiness that his best mate was going to sit with him. Alphard laughed heartily as he sat down.

There was a collective gasp from both Arnold and Alphard's friends. Arnold looked at them with surprise; still giddy with glee that Alphard had chosen to sit with him. Both the Gryffindor boys and Slytherin girls were watching the pair with wide eyes.

"Why'd you call yourself that?" Alastor asked Arnold.

"Yeah," added Eileen. "Do you know what it means?"

Arnold sighed and exchanged a weary look with Alphard. "I know what it means," explained Arnold after a pregnant pause. "I know it's not a nice word, either. Alph told me over the summer how it bothered him when his parents called Muggle-borns that word. I knew it would upset him when I would be called a Mudblood at Hogwarts, which I will be if I come in contact with Cygnus anytime soon, so I decided to make him more comfortable hearing it. I kept using the word for funny things so he'd think of good things when he heard it. I'm quite proud to be a Mudblood."

Alphard grinned as their friends' faces relaxed considerably. "He's right," said Alphard. "It worked, too. Arn's always thinking of ways to keep me sane at home."

The Slytherins turned to Arnold again, but this time they were all smiling at him. "It sounds like you're a great friend," Eileen complimented.

Just then, a rather large, older wizard came hurrying into the classroom. Arnold could tell from the exasperated look Alphard gave him that this was Professor Slughorn, head of Slytherin house. He wondered if Slughorn was going to start asking the students about their parents right away, as Dumbledore had done earlier to Arnold's friends. Slughorn didn't seem to be able to say anything, though, as the heavy man was panting heavily. He had a large, blond moustache that matched his straw-colored hair, and an extremely large belly. Slughorn also appeared to be wearing fancier robes than the other teachers; his outer robe was made of velvet and fastened with gold buttons. Once the Potions Master had caught his breath, he approached the class.

"Welcome, first years, to Potions!" Slughorn said cheerfully as his gooseberry eyes examined his new students. "I see some familiar faces among you! Miss Malfoy, do give your father my best. Mr. Belby, I was wondering when I would be seeing you; your brother told me that you had started this year. Your mother was quite the Potions prodigy back in her day; always the top of her class!" Slughorn's eyes fell upon Alphard, who groaned quietly. "Ah, and you must be Alphard Black! Pollux told me I'd be seeing you this year."

The Potions Master hesitated for a moment when he saw Alastor. "My, my," he said. Slughorn's tone had become somber. "You look so much like your father, Mr. Moody. Victor was always an incredible wizard, extraordinarily talented. I helped give him a leg up in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, but he never needed it. It was only a matter of time before the Auror office came to recruit him. What a wonderful man he was, and I have no doubt you'll be following in his footsteps, m'boy!"

"Thank you, sir," Alastor said. The boy was smiling and running a hand through his thick blond hair. There was a twinkle very similar to Professor Dumbledore's in his eyes. "My dad was a great man. It took Grindelwald and his top lieutenants to bring him down, and not before he took a few of them with him." Alastor puffed out his chest in pride.

Many students whispered amongst themselves when Alastor mentioned Gellert Grindelwald. Alphard, along with the Daily Prophet, had informed Arnold that the man was the most powerful Dark wizard of all time. According to the Prophet, Grindelwald was currently creating a reign of terror throughout Germany, Bulgaria and certain other European countries. He was a megalomaniacal pure-blood supremacist actively attempting to exterminate Muggle-borns and what Alphard called 'half-breeds.' Arnold was glad to hear that Alastor's father had fought against the horrible wizard and his sympathizers, even until his untimely death.

"Yes, yes," Slughorn said. "I'm terribly sorry for your loss, dear boy. Victor Moody will always be remembered as the hero that he was."

Alastor's grin grew. "Thank you, Professor."

After asking both Alleister and Henry about how their mothers were doing, Professor Slughorn finally began their first Potions lesson. He waved his wand and the chalk glided along the blackboard, writing down Slughorn's words as he spoke them. Arnold was surprised to see that the words were appearing on the blackboard in various colors and sizes.

Arnold hurried to copy down every word of Slughorn's dictation about the uses of Potions in everyday life. On his right, Henry was doing the very same. Alphard, however, was leaning on the back two legs of his chair, absentmindedly watching the words appear while twirling his quill in his hand.

Arnold gained ten points for Gryffindor for reciting the magical properties of asphodel. However, that was the only question he got to answer. Eileen Prince earned thirty-five points for Slytherin as she answered each of Slughorn's questions with ease. Her hand shot in the air each time, sometimes before the Potions Master had even finished the question. Judging from the Slytherins' surprised looks, she had not done this in their earlier lessons. Arnold was impressed, as was Professor Slughorn.

"Excellent, Miss Prince!" Slughorn remarked after Eileen had named the properties of mandrake draught in potion-making. "You have quite the talent, my dear! I cannot wait to see how your potions will be!"

"I've made loads before," Eileen said casually. "It's my family's tradition to teach potion-making before Hogwarts."

"Excellent!" Slughorn said once again as he beamed at Eileen. He then looked at the rest of the students and, with a wave of his wand, vanished all of the words on the blackboard. "That will be all for today. In your next lesson you will be brewing a simple forgetfulness potion. For homework, I would like you all to read the instructions for the potion very carefully."

"However," added Slughorn once the students began packing up their things, "I would like some of you to stay for just a moment. If I call your name, please remain seated. If your name is not called, you may leave."

Arnold and Alphard exchanged a look, and Alphard mouthed "Slug Club." Rolling his eyes, Arnold began to pack his things into his rucksack. There was no way that Slughorn was going to ask a Muggle-born to stay, especially since he'd made such a fuss over almost half the class's parents.

Meanwhile, Professor Slughorn had taken out the piece of parchment that he had used for roll call at the beginning of the lesson. Apparently, as Arnold now saw, he had marked which students he wanted to invite to his little club.

"Now then, let me see…" Slughorn scanned the parchment. "The students that I need to stay behind are: Alleister Anxium, Damocles Belby, Alphard Black, Violette Black, Irina Malfoy, Alastor Moody, Tudorr Nott and Eileen Prince." He glanced up at the class, grinning as the students that had been called remained in their seats and stopped packing their things. "Everyone else is dismissed!"

Arnold was a bit irritated that he had not been asked to stay. As he headed out of the classroom with Henry, he heard Slughorn calling his name.

"Mr. Gisned!" Slughorn called again as Arnold turned around. "You may stay as well."

Arnold could hardly suppress a smile as he headed back to his seat. Alphard gave him a thumbs-up once he had sat down again. Professor Slughorn flicked his wand, shutting the door. He faced the students, looking far more eager than any of them did.

"What a talented group you are!" Slughorn said. "I haven't asked this many first years to stay behind in years!" He waved his wand again, causing several green envelopes to come floating towards the students. After everyone had received an envelope, Arnold heard Alphard whisper "I told you so."

"As some of you may already know, I have a little club here at Hogwarts," explained Slughorn. "As you are the newest rising stars of Hogwarts, you have all been invited to attend the next gathering of my 'Slug Club,' as it has become known. I hope to see all of you there! You will find that your old Potions Master has many connections in the wizarding world. It is always a good move to begin making some connections yourselves, and you will meet many influential witches and wizards at some of my get-togethers!"

Arnold quickly turned a snicker into a cough as he caught Alphard rolling his eyes. Slughorn did not appear to notice, though. "Now, off you go," Slughorn said. "I hope to see all of you at the next Slug Club gathering!"

As Arnold and Alphard rose from their seats, they could hear Professor Slughorn catching his breath. The students filed out of the classroom clutching their green envelopes. Arnold was the only one that appeared to be excited that he'd been invited to the Slug Club. However, he believed he had a valid reason to be; he'd made it into the Slug Club based on his talent rather than his family.

"That should be interesting," remarked Alleister.

"I didn't actually think that Slughorn knew they called it the Slug Club," Alphard said.

"Me neither," added Irina with a smirk.

"I wonder why he chose me," Violette wondered aloud. "He must know that I'm not a true Black."

"Don't say that," Alphard chided gently. "You don't want to be a Black, trust me. You're worth ten of Cygnus."

Violette gave her cousin a wide grin. "I still wonder why he chose me," she said.

"Maybe it had something to do with Tom Riddle," said Irina. When the others looked at her in confusion, she elaborated. "I mean, Riddle is Slughorn's favorite student, isn't he? Maybe he put in a good word for you."

"You may be right," Eileen replied.

"Yeah, why did Riddle stick up for you?" Alastor asked as he ran a hand through his hair. "I mean, I'm happy that he did, and I don't like that Cygnus bloke at all. I'm just curious to know why he did it. I bet Cygnus has bullied loads of students and I doubt Riddle has ever interfered before."

Arnold had to admit that Alastor made a good point. He absolutely detested Cygnus and knew for a fact that Violette had not been Cygnus's first victim. It certainly was curious as to why Riddle would stick up for a first year he didn't even know. Perhaps he was simply being nice? Arnold supposed that if someone like Alphard could still be sorted into Slytherin, there must be other friendly Slytherins as well. After all, Arnold did not know Tom Riddle at all.

"I was wondering the same thing," Arnold said with a nod towards Alastor. "Does Riddle know you somehow, Violette?"

Violette exchanged a worried look with Eileen, and Arnold knew that he had reached the heart of the matter. The smaller girl nodded at Violette.

"He knows my grandfather," said Violette quietly.

"Who is your grandfather?" Alleister asked, picking up on her discomfort. "You act like that's a bad thing."

"He's a bad man, my grandfather," Violette said as she turned to Alleister. "His name is Morfin Gaunt."

Alastor inhaled sharply, his face hardening and eyes narrowing. "Morfin Gaunt is your grandfather? You're _related_ to him?"

"Unfortunately," Violette admitted. "It's not as if I knew who he was before this summer, though. I don't even think he knows that my mum exists, let alone me. My mum had to grow up in an orphanage because neither of her parents wanted her. She reckons she was the product of violence and Morfin wanting a boy to carry on the Gaunt family name."

"That's awful," Alleister lamented.

"He sounds like a git," Arnold muttered.

"He's more than just a _git_," Alastor growled. "He's a Muggle-hating murderer! My father took him to Azkaban this past summer after he killed three Muggles in their home. He was mad, Morfin Gaunt. My dad said the Muggles that lived near him were much safer with him locked away in Azkaban."

Alphard, Violette, Eileen and Irina all shared another look of unease. Arnold was shocked that the pretty, young girl whose eyes seemed to glow with kindness could be related to a cold-blooded killer. He now understood why the girl used Black as her surname as opposed to Gaunt.

"Riddle says that the Muggles he murdered were his father and grandparents," Alphard reported. He filled the Gryffindors in on what had happened in the Slytherin common room the previous night. Violette supplied what he had said to her in private.

"I don't like him at all," Alastor announced once Alphard and Violette had finished. "Riddle, that is. What kind of a person actually _wants_ their family to be murdered?"

Alphard clapped him on the back sympathetically. "You don't understand Slytherins, mate. Some of them will say anything to get the others to think they're not against the _cause._ You know, hating Muggle-borns and the like. Riddle's a half-blood, so maybe someone told him he had to prove his loyalty to Slytherin house. I know that Cygnus and his mates tell people that all the time."

"Or maybe he thought that if people knew Violette's relatives were Muggle killers, they would respect her a bit more?" Irina guessed. She twirled a lock of her white-blonde hair around her finger.

"That still doesn't explain _why_ he did it," Alastor reminded them.

"It was actually sort of scary," Eileen admitted. "He told the whole common room that Violette's grandfather did him a favor. We thought he was making it up at first, but then Vi told us that it was true..." She shuddered.

"It sounds to me like he wanted to prove himself," Alphard said with a shrug. Irina nodded beside him, though Violette remained uncharacteristically quiet.

"There's something up with him," Alleister said sternly. "I don't know what it is, but I have a bad feeling that this Riddle bloke is dangerous."

Arnold nodded in agreement with his friend, as did Alastor. "I'd be careful around him, just in case he tries something," Alastor said, looking at Violette this time.

Arnold liked the way that Alastor thought. He was very logical and practical. As for Tom Riddle, he agreed that there was something suspicious about his behavior in the common room. Yet he was not very concerned; like Alphard, he believed that Riddle was probably just saying those things to proclaim his loyalty to Slytherin. Arnold felt that he had much more to fear from Cygnus than he did from Tom Riddle, even though they were both sixth year Slytherins. Especially since when Cygnus eventually recognized Arnold from the Grey Goat Tavern, thus learning that he was a Muggle-born. Once Cygnus found out he was a Muggle-born he would _really_ have it out for him.

"Well, he _still _stood up for me," Violette said softly. "I'm not saying he's a good person, but I'm not saying he's a bad person either. I don't know anything about him." Arnold was beginning to think that Violette was one of those people that tried to see the good in everyone. It reminded him of Carolyn, who was the same way.

Alleister smiled encouragingly at Violette, causing the girl's eyes to glaze over, a goofy smile painted on her face. The Gryffindor boy promptly flushed bright red and frowwned. The Slytherin turned bright red as well, humiliated once more by the effect's of Alleister's smile. It was a good thing they were both amongst their friends and not their enemies, or they would have never been able to escape the teasing and taunting.

"I'll have to get used to that smile if we're going to be friends," Violete said with a wide grin.

Alleister started to smile in response, quickly realized his mistake and placed his hands over his mouth. The entire group erupted in laughter, their chortling causing an echo through the corridor.

"Are you Slytherins sure you want to be friends with a few Gryffindors?" Alastor asked, smirking.

"Do you Gryffindors really think you can handle us Slytherins?" Irina countered with a wink.

Alphard grinned at Arnold, Violette was giggling as Alleister peeked at her through his hands that were still covering his face, and Irina and Eileen were shooting conspicuous glances at Alastor and whispering to one another. Arnold saw his best mate glance at him with unmistakable pride in his eyes. Both of them looked around at their friends, then back at each other. Even though the boys knew that they would find a way to continue their friendship, they had not predicted that their friends would become friends as well. It was a pleasany bonus that made things a bit easier.

When the group reached the Grand Staircase the Slytherins told them they would be heading back to the dungeons. The girls wanted to freshen up before dinner, and Irina had reminded her friends that Anna would be waiting anxiously for a report on what had happpened in her absence. Alleister had reminded them that Henry would be waiting for an update as well. After they had all said their goodbyes, the Slytherins turned back while the Gryffindors headed up the stairs.

"Can you believe that we're friends with Slytherins? Not to mention that those three girls are _really_ pretty." Alastor's tanned skin turned a shade of pink as he admitted that last part.

"Which one do you like most?" Alleister inquired, although he seemed a bit _too_ eager to know the answer, as if he was hoping he did not say the same one that he fancied.

"Er," Alastor said, not prepared for Al's question. He hopped over the same step Alleister had gotten stuck in earlier that day, which now seemed like ages ago. "Irina is definitely a looker and I like her jokes, but she's a _Malfoy._ My family are known blood traitors, so a Malfoy is definitely off limits for me. Eileen Prince is pretty too and wicked brilliant. Violette is just so _good_, y'know? I can tell by her eyes that she's the type that's nice to everyone. And Anna is fit too, but she's got Demitri Flint as a brother which makes her pretty much off limits as well."

"Yeah," Alleister agreed. "Anna seemed like she's really strong, y'know? I suppose if Demitri Flint was my brother, I'd learn to be strong too." Alleister explained to Arnold that seventh year Demitri Flint was the Captain of the Slytherin Quidditch Team, and an aggressive Beater that taught the team fouls and sneaky moves that were barely allowed. Demitri was extremely popular amongst the Slytherin students and was almost always surrounded by a plethora of admirers and fellow Quidditch players. Like Alleister, he had hopes to one day become a professional Quidditch player; it was rumored that scouts from several Quidditch teams were going to be watching Demitri play in the first Quidditch match of the school year. Flint was one of the biggest students at Hogwarts; aside from Hagrid, no one even came close to his size. Alastor said he reminded him of a small Mountain Troll.

"What about you, Arnold?" Alastor asked him, rousing him from his thoughts of Demitri Flint and Mountain Trolls. "Which of the birds do _you_ like the most?"

Arnold thought for a moment, but his thoughts did not go to a Slytherin girl at first. All of the Slytherin girls had great qualities and good looks. However, Arnold had not felt the same tingling in his stomach that he had experienced when talking to Ravenclaw Augusta Smith. He liked that feeling, and he also thought that Augusta was beautiful and smart. After all, she had given him a run for his money in Herbology that morning.

"I think they're all great and everything," Arnold said finally. "I like Augusta Smith the best, though."

"The Ravenclaw from Herbology?" Alleister asked him. He nodded.

"Brilliant," Alastor said. Alleister looked relieved as well. "Good thing, too. I thought you would go for Eileen because of her Potions abilities. What about you, Al?"

"Violette," Alleister said without missing a beat. Alastor and Arnold stared at him; he had answered that question at once without thinking. He seemed to be almost smitten, which Arnold thought was unusual for eleven years old. Although he liked the feeling he felt when talking to Augusta, and the thought she was very pretty, the idea of actually dating or snogging her still made him shiver. He hoped he was not maturing slower than his friends.

Alleister turned red when he realized he had made his feelings rather obvious. "Er, she's funny, and nice, and she's really brave to put up with that tosser Cygnus Black taunting her all the time. I fancy her. Don't laugh at me!"

"You _love_ her!" Alastor was howling with laughter, and soon Arnold had joined in. "Alleister Anxium is _in love_!" Both boys broke out in fits of laughter. They could not believe that on their first day of lessons, Alleister already fancied a girl. Alastor remarked that by the second month he would be snogging. The sheer silliness of snogging a girl made Arnold burst out in a fit of giggles.

Once their laughter had ceased, Alastor turned to them looking very serious. "Arnold and I met an older girl this morning," Alastor said, smirking. "She was the prettiest witch in the school, let me tell you! She's a Prefect, too."

"What's her name?" Alleister inquired. "I may know her from one of Father's pure-blood parties."

"Your father had pure-blood parties?" Arnold asked him.

Alleister nodded. "A lot of pure-blood parents host parties to get their children to associate with only other pure-blood children. My father's parties weren't like the ones that families like the Blacks hosted, though." Arnold shuddered, thinking of how miserable Alphard must have been at these pure-blood gatherings. "He only invited families like the Boneses and Vances; families that weren't all about pure-blood supremacy. They were always boring."

"Her name is Minerva McGonagall," Alastor said, ignoring his two diverted friends. "What I wouldn't do for a good snog with her..."

"Alastor!" Arnold and Alleister both cried in shock.

Alastor laughed. "Only joking! If she's a Prefect then she must be at least fifteen."

"Exactly," said Alleister, clapping his best mate on the back. "She's too old for you, mate."

"I know," said Alastor. "A bloke can dream, though, can't he?"

Arnold laughed. "I'd rather not know what's in your dreams, Moody."

The boys were still laughing when they arrived at the portrait of the Fat Lady that served as the entrance and exit to Gryffindor Tower. After Arnold muttered "Amortentia," the portrait swung open and they entered the crowded Gryffindor common room.

Henry quickly found his friends and led them to a table in the corner of the room. Todd and Hagrid were seated at the table as well. Henry told the three boys that Hagrid had been telling him and his brother about the Centaurs and unicorns in the Forbidden Forest. Arnold wondered how Hagrid had gotten so far into the forest to have met Centaurs, as he remembered from Headmaster Dippet's speech last night that the Forbidden Forest was, well, forbidden.

The three boys filled Henry, Todd and Hagrid in on what had happened after Potions class. Todd and Hagrid were impressed that they had been invited to the Slug Club in their first year, especially when Arnold told them how he had gotten in even though he was Muggle-born. Apparently Slughorn rarely invited Muggle-borns into his club, unless they showed potential to rise high in the wizarding world. It wasn't that Slughorn was prejudiced against Muggle-borns, despite being head of the house that was famous for it, but the Potions Master picked his star students based on their connections and pure-bloods and half-bloods typically had more connections.

As the Gryffindors prepared to head down to the Great Hall for dinner, Henry was asked the same question as the others before: which of the girls they had met so far he thought was the prettiest.

"Irina Malfoy," Henry answered. "She's bloody _gorgeous_! I know she's a Malfoy, not to mention Abraxas's sister, but I still think she's the best looking." "What about you lot?"

Alastor told Henry that he liked Eileen Prince, claiming that although she was rather plain looking her brains enhanced her beauty. After hearing Henry's answer, he had left out what he said before about Irina. Alastor also mentioned how he _really_ liked Minerva McGonagall, but as she was a fifth year there was no point in fancying her. Alleister told Henry that he thought he was beginning to fancy Violette Black, which Henry informed him was quite obvious from the way he behaved around her, and Arnold said that his favorite was Augusta Smith.

Arnold felt something changing inside of him. Before his first day at Hogwarts, he never would have wanted to think of girls and snogging; he had even been shocked by Alastor's statement about wanting to snog Minerva, and Alleister's admission of fancying Violette. Now, though, he pictured himself and Augusta snogging down by the Black Lake. He felt the same tingling in his stomach when he pictured Augusta's lips touching his own.

All in all, Arnold was satisfied with how his first day at Hogwarts had turned out. He met lots of new friends (including Augusta), earned a good amount of points for Gryffindor, got invited to the Slug Club, and he had gotten to spend some time with Alphard. For once, Arnold felt like he was at home. Even though he had much to learn about the wizarding world, he was confident that he belonged in this world.

The six boys headed down to the Great Hall for dinner, still talking about the day's events. Hagrid told them how he had received a detention in his Care of Magical Creatures lesson; apparently he had been trying to defend Acromantulas. Professor Kettleburn, the Care of Magical Creatures teacher, had been teaching the class that Acromantulas, which Arnold learned were like large spiders capable of human speech, were bloodthirsty monsters. Hagrid had angrily interrupted Kettleburn and argued that the large, fanged spiders were seriously misunderstood creatures. Kettleburn had not let Hagrid say another word and had given him detention along with deducting five points from Gryffindor.

As he listened to his new friend explain why he felt these Acromantulas were misunderstood, Arnold smiled to himself at Hagrid's passion for animals.

"In speaking of animals," said Alleister, "how would all of you like to spend the holidays at my manor? We have plenty of Hippogriffs and Aethonons in the stables; my mum loves animals, too. There's all kinds of animals on the grounds. Don't worry, there's plenty of room; we have enough guest rooms to house a small army. Father used to use them when he had his work parties. Believe me, it'd be really nice to have all of you over for the holidays; it gets rather lonely when it's just me, Mum and Father." He glanced at Arnold. "I'm going to ask Alphard and the girls if they want to come, too."

Hagrid looked as if he was about to cry at the invitation, and he agreed almost immediately. Alastor and the Bones brothers happily accepted. Arnold accepted the invitation as well, excited that he would finally get to see what a wizarding home was like, especially a large manor like Alleister's.

The boys filled up on the delicious food quickly. Arnold continued to wonder what Alleister's home was going to be like. If they had enough rooms to accomodate about nine people then it must be a very large mansion. He hoped that Alphard would accept the invitation as well. Alphard was always looking for ways to avoid spending time at Grimmauld Place, though, so Arnold was certain that as long as he could come up with a good enough excuse for his parents he would be able to come.

Arnold had never felt this happy since he had found out he was a wizard, or became friends with Alphard in the first place. He had made some great friends in three of the four Hogwarts Houses, and was already learning quite a lot about the wizarding world. Not to mention that he had just been invited to spend the holidays at a mansion, where he and Alphard would not have to worry about hiding their friendship from anyone.

He was really beginning to love magic.


End file.
